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Princesses, from birth, were raised to be perfect little damsels: to sit passively in peril and wait for their prince to save them.

There were two reasons why Darling Charming would never fit that role.

Firstly: she had a chronic thirst for adventure. As a child, she’d sit with her mother and watch her brothers, Dexter and Daring, practice swordplay in the yard. She remembered asking if she could give it a try.

“Absolutely not,” Was her mother’s scathing reply. “What need do you have for swinging a sword around? You’re a princess.” Even at that young age, something about that made her blood boil.

So, once she was a tween, she’d had Dexter take her out by nightfall so she could try it. It was originally meant to be just to spite her mother, but.. She’d taken to it fantastically, knocking her brother down countless times on the first night alone.

She’d kept practicing, until the night she brought Daring along, too. She’d just wanted a bigger challenge than Dexter: her older brother had far outclassed her twin in this department. But Daring was always the favourite. He’d never had any trouble from their parents. So he told their father, not knowing the consequences. And Darling’s curfew was tightened.

But then, all of a sudden, she was free of her parents. Of her mother’s eyes always on her back. Because she was going to Ever After High. Security was far easier to get through there. She’d go to the heroics court and practice for hours by nightfall- Until she was almost caught.

She’d ran from the group of heroes coming out late to practice. Straight into the woods. She clearly hadn’t been acute enough as a knight then, because she’d tripped straight into a rabbit hole, and fallen into Wonderland. The White Knight found her, and, to her astonishment, agreed to train her. She’d always liked Wonderland’s looser rules and stereotypes. There, it wasn’t out of the question for a Princess to swing a blade and be a hero.

Anyway. Instead of running to the Heroics Grounds every night, she was hustling her way to Wonderland, growing into the next White Knight. And with that, came a new passion for saving damsels. Covered by the White Knight armour, she didn’t have to worry about being called out. She started taking Daring’s role in Damsel-In-Distressing. Questing in Wonderland. Breaking all of the strict guidelines for Princesshood that had been instilled in her since birth.

Which then made her realise the second problem.

Darling was a lesbian.

Only a few people knew about it, but that didn’t make it any less real.

Dexter was the first person she’d told. Who she’d talked to about these feelings. He was her twin brother: of course he was accepting, despite how out of the norm it was. He had been a constant comfort while she’d been figuring all this out.

During the whole Spring Festival fiasco, Darling had helped Ginger Breadhouse when she was in trouble, which led to Ginger catching feelings for the mysterious White Knight. Darling thought she had a right to know who she was really falling for, and after that, it somehow became a short fling, before they had both moved on.

Of course, during that relationship, her roommate, Rosabella Beauty, had eventually caught on to why Darling brought Ginger back to their room so often. She’d talked to Darling about it, and was surprisingly okay with it - after insisting to Darling that she was straight, of course.

Darling honestly didn’t know how Maddie Hatter found out about it. She’d just dropped the fact into casual conversation. Thankfully only Raven Queen was there to overhear, but it had scared the hex out of Darling nonetheless. When she’d asked Maddie how she knew, she’d just said something about narrators. It was that weird side of Wonderland Darling didn’t think she’d ever get her head around.

And, while she didn’t know at the time, she was incredibly lucky that Raven had been the one to overhear. Not only was she the head of the Rebels - Darling was a Rebel, obviously - and therefore she understood somewhat, but she roomed with Apple White.

Darling had a crush on Apple. How could she not? The most popular girl in school, head of the Debate Team and the Student Council, heir to the throne of Ever After- And not only that; but she was smart, passionate, driven, and she and Darling agreed on a lot of things. She really was the fairest of them all, and Darling was smitten.

But it was the things that had caused her to catch feelings in the first place that were what made those feelings such a problem.

Apple had the most important fairytale in Ever After, and she was to be Queen. Someone like that couldn’t be gay even if they wanted to, and she clearly didn’t want to: she was head of the Royals. She was following her fairytale destiny right to the last page. So Darling could never be her Prince Charming.

It was quite a cruel twist of fate, actually, that Apple’s prince was Daring. Not only was it her brother, but it was the brother she’d never felt safe to confide in. She wanted to talk to Daring about it - really, she did - but she couldn’t. Not after he’d told their father about her sword practice. So she watched them from afar. Was she happy that her brother would get his Happily Ever After? Absolutely, but that didn’t stop it from hurting.

Anyway, after the whole business with Courtly Jester, the Red Knight had practically forced Darling to reveal her first secret - the fact that she was the White Knight of Wonderland - to pretty much the entire school. This made it far harder for her to sneak off to Wonderland during breaks, so she mostly just spent them in the library.

She’d been reading a book on Heroics when Apple White herself came hurrying up to her table. “Darling!” She called brightly, smiling at Darling like she was everything she’d ever been looking for.

Darling sputtered - unprincess-ly - and slammed her book shut, turning it over to hide the cover. Old habits died hard, she supposed. She smiled sweetly at Apple like she hadn’t just panicked majorly. “What do you need, Apple?” She evened out her voice as best she could, trying not to seem too flustered. Last time they’d been alone together was in Apple’s Wonderland meeting, where Darling had stumbled and stuttered and made a real fool of herself. She was determined not to do that again.

“Well,” Apple began, as she sat herself down in the seat beside Darling’s, “Dexter told Raven who told me that you’re wonderful at research!” Her smile became a conspirator’s grin. “Or should I say, wonderlandiful?” She giggled, a hand going in front of her mouth. The way her face warmed when she laughed made Darling’s heart pound.

Darling grinned laxly, trying to at least seem calm. “I mean, I’m not awful. What do you need help with?” She wouldn’t exactly call herself wonderlandiful at research, as Apple had put it, but she certainly knew her way around the library.

Apple rolled her eyes, an easy smile on her face. “I’m sure you didn’t get to top of the class in Damsel-In-Distressing without some skill at revising, right?” She arched a brow, and something in Darling fluttered at being under her gaze. “We’re doing a project on courting Princes in Princessology, do you know any good books on that?”

The thought of courting a Prince made Darling’s stomach turn, but she nodded. “Yeah, follow me.” She got to her feet, leading Apple through the library. First level, back right corner. “I‘m surprised you’re not studying with Briar. Isn’t she throwing one of her study parties for this topic?” She asked, as they reached the Courtship section of the library.

Apple shook her head, wearing a fond grin. “No, she’s too busy regular partying.” She chuckled, expression turning sheepish. “I’m not going, because I’ve got to keep my grades up. I am Apple White, after all.” Yikes. And Darling thought she had pressure from her family.

Darling ran a finger along the books in the shelf, stopping when she reached ‘101 Ways To Court A Princess’, before realising her company and quickly moving to its neighbour, ‘101 Ways To Court A Prince’. Blegh. She took the book out and handed it to Apple. “Here, this should have more than enough to help.”

Apple opened the book up to the contents page, her eyes lighting up as they scanned through it. “Darling, this is perfect!” She exclaimed, making Darling unable to help but flush pink. Apple shut the book and grinned brightly. “Ah, if you need help with anything, feel free to ask me!” She blushed softly. “Especially after everything in Wonderland, I’m really in your debt.”

Darling shook her head, perhaps too hastily. “No, it’s fine.” She gestured awkwardly. “I mean, isn’t it the Princess way to pay it forward? Do a good deed for someone else, and I’ll be satisfied.” She leaned softly back against the bookcase, smiling softly at Apple. Godmother, Apple made her feel soft.

Apple’s eyes widened in surprise, before she determinedly nodded. “That’s just right, Darling!” She called joyfully, as she clasped one of Darling’s hands in both of hers. “Thank you again!” She let go, and turned to leave, a spring in her step.

“Charm you later!” Darling called after her, letting her get a safe distance away before blushing profusely. Fairy Godmother, the only person sweeter than Apple was Ginger, and that was only because she was literally made of gingerbread. Darling turned back to the bookshelf, and pulled out the book she’d passed over earlier.

‘101 Ways To Court A Princess’.

She stuffed it in her bag before anyone could’ve seen it, and left the library.

-

After classes’ end, Darling headed back to the room she shared with Rosabella. As soon as she pulled the door open, she was hit with an outburst from her roommate. “Darling!” Rosabella called, voice high and determined. She hurried toward the doorway in which Darling stood, holding out a clipboard and quill. “Will you sign my petition to save the pegasi? They’re a really rare species right now and-“

“Of course.” Darling lightly laughed, taking the quill and giving a neat signature. She and her brothers all signed things ‘D. Charming’, mostly as a little inside joke to confuse people. “Pegasus-ses are spelltacular, I’d love to ride one someday.” She huffed a little, as Rosabella retracted the clipboard and let her enter their dorm. “Well, I wouldn’t wanna feel like I’m betraying Herowing or anything, but still.”

Rosabella smiled brightly, running a finger down the list of signatures. “I should definitely ask Ashlynn to sign, I’m sure she’d know a whole bunch of other people who’d want to, too..” She walked over to her bed, and placed the clipboard on the bedside cabinet.

Darling sat down on her bed, and began emptying her bag of books. A few Heroics handbooks, adventure novels, and that Princess courtship book - which would probably be her next read. Rosabella paced over, and sat down on the edge of Darling’s bed to peer at the books.

“Y’know, you really should bug Headmaster Grimm to let you take Heroics classes.” Rosabella picked up one of the Heroics handbooks as she spoke, brushing a hand down the cover, which bore a picture of a valiant knight battling a troll. “I bet you’d even outclass Daring at it.” She said with a fond chuckle and a soft blush.

Darling raised her eyebrows. “He wouldn’t let me. For starters, the only other girl in that class is Poppy O’Hair - and that’s only because she doesn’t have a destiny.” She looked off, trying not to appear as angry as she felt. “My destiny’s to be a damsel. Damsels aren’t supposed to be Heroes, and save people. They’re the ones that’re meant to be saved.” She shrugged apathetically. “Besides. If I tell Grimm, he’ll tell my parents, and Godmother knows what they’d do.” She said, with a touch of fear.

Rosabella frowned, and sadly nodded. “Unfortunately, I think you’re right.” She rummaged through the books, looking for an opportunity to change the subject and perk up Darling. “What’s this-?” She asked, picking up the Princess courtship book. “Woah. You planning to use some of the techniques in this?” She raised her eyebrows with a grin.

Godmother, everyday Darling thanked whatever power had let Rosabella be accepting of her sexuality. Sure, at first things had been a little awkward, and Rosabella had sort of kept her at arm’s length, but the gap had closed, and they’d returned to being comfortable friends - and now Darling had someone she could easily talk to about her feelings. “Yeah. Maybe I’ll actually be able to go out with another girl with some of those.” She grinned, shuffling closer to Rosabella as the future Beauty opened the book.

Inside were mostly methods Princes had used on Darling herself in the past: stuff like presenting the Princess with gifts, and doing Heroic deeds to impress her. Darling let out a sharp laugh, tapping a picture of two knights duelling for a maiden’s honour. “I’ve already got that one covered.” Winning the duel with the Red Knight had already proven her skill as a knight to all zero interested damsels.

Rosabella chuckled, but quickly stopped as she flipped the page. “This is all really.. Impersonal?” She turned a few more pages, becoming impatient. “I mean sure, there’s some sweet stuff in here, like composing a love letter for your maiden, but mostly it’s just ‘do super dumb and reckless thing to impress girl’.” She stuck her tongue out, unimpressed. “There’s nothing sensitive here.”

Rosabella made a good point, Darling thought. “Maybe literature written by a braindead knight who got the girl on virtue of his destiny won’t be that helpful.” Darling decided, as Rosabella closed the book. “It was worth a look, though.” She stretched, looking to her roommate. “What kinda Prince do you look for, then?”

Rosabella sputtered, looking off with embarrassment. “I mean, I haven’t really dated around, or anything.” She shrugged, looking back with a nervous expression. “I dunno, I’d just want someone who.. Actually cares. Not just about me, but about.. Y’know, the wider world.” She smiled warmly. “I don’t do all the petitions and campaigns for nothing, and I just want someone who cares as much as I do.” She rubbed her neck, softly blushing. “But, uh, that’s kinda hard to come by.” She looked up at Darling with a smile. “What about you? What kinda, uh, Princess do you look for?”

Darling smiled sadly, and nodded. “Yeah, can’t be easy to find someone like that.” She folded her arms, looking off in thought. What was she looking for? “Honestly, I’d take pretty much any girl thrown at me, at this rate.” She laughed softly, before clearing her throat. “But, uh? Truthfully? I’d love a fairytale princess. A damsel I can rescue, y’know?” She blushed softly.

Rosabella pouted. “Girls aren’t just damsels for you to save, Darling.” She spoke with a warning tone, but there was lightheartedness to it.

Darling rolled her eyes, narrowing them slightly in jest. “Of course not, I know that better than anyone.” She unfolded her arms, moving her hands to lace together. “I mean, I’d want a Princess who’d want to adventure with me, and who’s sweet, and, well, y’know, all the basic stuff.” She shrugged, a sheepish smile on her face. “Given the amount of Princesses in Ever After, I don’t think I’m asking for much.”

“If your standards are as low as you’re making them out to be, why didn’t it work out with Ginger?” Rosabella asked, raising her eyebrows curiously. “She’s sweet, and open to adventure, and she pretty much was a damsel.”

Darling huffed, shuffling awkwardly. “Well, for one thing, I was kinda a short-lived crush for her. What we had was never super serious, y’know?” She smiled fondly. “Ginger’s lovely, she really is, but I’m not, uh, in love with her, y’know?” She laced her fingers tighter together. “It’s sorta hard to explain.”

Rosabella hummed, nodding. “I think I understand. Kinda.” She giggled softly, fluttering her eyelashes. “So, do you have any crushes?” She put a hand in front of her hand effeminately, to emphasise the raw girliness of the subject.

Darling laughed, narrowing her eyes. “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.” If she’d been reading Rosabella’s blushes and shuffles right, her roommate absolutely had a crush on someone. Darling’s money was on Hunter, from Rosabella’s description of her ideal partner, despite how.. Problematic that would be. Hey, most of the Princes in Ever After High were taken anyway; it’s not like Rosabella had many single guys to pick from.

Rosabella blushed profusely, pushing her arm in front of her face to cover her face. “How did you-?” She sputtered, before taking a heavy breath out. Easing up, she lowered her arm. “Fine.” She fidgeted, not meeting Darling’s gaze. “Daring.”

Woah, plot twist.

Darling chuckled softly, only making Rosabella blush more. “Well, first off, you have full permission to date my brother.” She lightly elbowed Rosabella in the side, before sobering a little. “But, uh, Daring’s pretty contradictory to your specifications.” She pointed out. Did Darling love her brother? Absolutely. But did Daring care about many things outside of his own reflection? No.

Rosabella sighed fondly, gazing out of the window. “I know, it’s just.. There’s something about him. I feel like he has the capacity to see farther than himself, but.. He just needs someone to help him discover it.” She tried to explain, gesturing lightly with one hand.

Darling wasn’t fully following, but she nodded. “Well, if anyone’s gonna perform that miracle, I’m sure it’ll be you.” She pat Rosabella’s shoulder with a friendly grin.

Rosabella smiled, before her eyes narrowed. “Now you have to tell me your crush.” She jabbed Darling’s arm with a finger, fully aware of the White Knight’s habit of keeping secrets.

Darling softly sighed, feeling her face heat up. “Apple.” Better to say it bluntly - there wasn’t really any way of sugarcoating such an impossibility.

Rosabella’s face seemed to fall, and she lightly pat Darling’s shoulder.

“Yeah.” Darling’s voice was laced with sad humour. “It’s just - she’s so sweet, and smart, and dedicated.. And whenever I’m around her, I feel so soft and warm and good, and my heart pounds out of my chest.” A small smile formed on her lips as she spoke of Apple, feeling a ghost of that warmth.

Rosabella’s head cocked slightly to the side, as she wore a curious smile. Darling arched a brow. “It’s just crazy.” Rosabella commented. “Girls can love other girls, just like they can love boys, but no one ever talks about it, or lets it happen, or..” She trailed off, sighing with annoyance. “Just another one of Ever After’s many injustices, I guess.”

Darling grinned, but there was little joy in it. “Gonna be hard to get people to sign a petition supporting homosexuality.” She spoke dryly, getting her frustration out through biting humour. “Grimm’d probably hexpel you on the spot, too.” She curled her knees up into her chest, and wrapped her arms around them. Godmother, what a royal pain.

Rosabella frowned deeply, looking at the floor. “I’m so sorry, Darling.” Her voice cracked with hurt. “I’ll try to do all I can, to help. You deserve to love who you want just as much as everyone else Ever After.” Her hands clenched into soft, determined fists.

Darling felt her eyes fill with tears, but she blinked them back. “Thank you, Rosabella.” She leaned over, and pulled her Best Friend Forever After into a hug. Truly, she didn’t deserve someone as kind and as driven as Rosabella Beauty as a friend.

-

And then came the Dragon Games. And an unexpected twist of fate.

Now, was Darling glad the Evil Queen escaped from her mirror prison and took over the school? No. But.. It had led to some revelations about Apple’s story.

Darling had never really known what her story would be. Her mother had told her that she’d know in time: whether she was kidnapped by whatever beast she was to be damsel to, or she found her True Love. Mother described True Love as something you knew at first sight. You looked into the eyes of the man and you just knew: you felt the book closing, the world disappearing around you. You felt like you could spend Forever After with them.

Of course, Darling had never felt that with a boy. But with a girl, with Apple..

Back when she’d first met Apple, when she didn’t know, every chat with her had felt electric. They never spoke too often, but she adored her company. Her voice, her grace, her smiles sent electric currents of warmth through Darling.

But then she figured out she liked girls. And with that, figured out she liked Apple. But it couldn’t have been True Love, she decided. After all, Apple’s True Love was Daring. Not Darling. Maybe True Love wasn’t even a thing, anyway. Ashlynn Ella and Hunter Huntsman were together, and they didn’t even have the same story. But at least they were a boy and a girl.

But when Apple was poisoned by the Evil Queen and Faybelle Thorn, and Apple fell into eternal sleep, it wasn’t Daring that woke her.

It wasn’t supposed to be a kiss. Apple had been choking, and Darling had panicked. She had tried to do CPR. But CPR didn’t come with a flashing golden light and a feeling of such.. Completeness. And usually, CPR didn’t wake princesses from their enchanted sleep. Maybe someone should tell Briar Beauty that little trick worked.

Apple didn’t know immediately, but.. At Darling’s insistence, Raven had told her a couple days later. Apple avoided Darling after that.

So, Darling gave her space. She needed time to figure things out, and Darling would never force her into anything. It was funny - that Darling had become the Royal, all for this change of fate, while Apple was now the Rebel, vehemently against it. Well, Darling assumed so, anyway. She didn’t know. There was the hope that Apple would fall for her, but.. Darling knew it was in vain.

At least she’d managed to have a sit down with her brothers, and tell Daring everything. She and Dexter had told him, quite sharply, that he couldn’t tell anyone about Darling’s sexuality, least of all their parents. He’d nodded, looking like a kicked puppy, and apologised for them having to insist that.

Darling supposed she shouldn’t have been so stubborn with forgiving Daring, but.. This was something she was uncharacteristically paranoid about people finding out.

But after the whole True Love’s Kiss thing with Apple, people assumed her sexuality. Well, they were right, but it was still a fairly baseless assumption, given that it was meant to be CPR. Maybe the whole thing would’ve been more contained if it weren’t for Blondie Lockes and her cursing MirrorCast.

They heckled Apple for it all, sure, but Darling got it worse. Apple White would rise above it, too important to be brought down by these rumours. Darling Charming wasn’t so special. The whispers, the jealous words from Princes, the dirty looks Briar and Ashlynn would throw her in the halls; all of it hurt. But she kept her head held high. Her mother had trained her not to show that petty things like this got to her.

But it didn’t stop it from being exhausting. People’d come to her constantly, asking for the truth about what happened in the Pixies’ Grove - Darling’s politely tell them it was intended to be CPR, and leave them with that. It wasn’t that simple, though.

That was only demonstrated on the day that C.A. Cupid had dragged Darling up to her dorm. It was thankfully empty, as Blondie had hurried away to report on Crystal Winter’s visit to Ever After High. But that had only allowed Cupid to sit Darling down and give her (wholly unneeded) relationship advice.

“Darling!” She chirruped, a hexcited grin on her face. “When’re you gonna talk to Apple?” She put a hand to her chest. “My best advice with things like this is to just come out and say it, y’know?” She excitedly winked. While Darling appreciated her enthusiasm, it was somewhat.. Misplaced.

“I’m going to wait until she’s ready to talk to me.” Darling was clear, precise, and decisive, wanting this conversation to be over so she could go the Heroics Grounds and swing a sword about to let off steam, be cursed whoever saw her.

Cupid frowned, fidgeting. “Well, while that’s very chivalrous of you, Darling, I don’t think it’s the best course of action.” She’d turned serious quite quickly, some force behind her tone. “I don’t think Apple feels confident in moving forward either. You’ve got to take action, or there’s a good chance it’ll never happen.”

Already, Darling’s patience was wearing thin. Recalling sixteen years of manners training, she took a steady breath in. “Cupid, have you ever given advice to a same-sex couple?” She asked, doing all she could to sound as polite as possible.

Cupid’s frown turned puzzled. “At my old school, yeah.” She nodded slowly, clearly not following. “Why do you ask?” She questioned, looking somewhat uneasy.

“In Ever After, gay couples aren’t really.. Accepted, by most people.” Darling explained, gesturing lightly as she spoke. “Apple’s destined to be the next Queen, she can’t date another girl without heavy consequences.” She smiled weakly, arms dropping. “It’s not as easy as her just.. Accepting that she could be gay and pursuing that.”

Cupid’s face fell, and she looked off, thoughtful. “You, ah, make a good point.” She sat quietly for a while, fumbling with her hands. “Well, it’s still worth talking to her, even if it isn’t romantically.” She said finally, looking up to stare Darling in the eye. “If neither of you make any move, you’ll both just be sad and unreconciled, and no one wants that.”

Darling hummed softly, considering this advice. “I want to make sure she’s comfortable, but.. You’re probably right.” She reluctantly nodded, before getting to her feet. “Thanks, Cupid.” A small smile spread across her face.

Cupid smiled warmly. “No worries!” There was a.. Strange gleam in her eye. “Thank you, as well.”

Darling arched a brow. “What’ve you got to thank me for? All I’ve done is unload my gay crisis on you.” She chuckled lightly, becoming surprisingly laidback in Cupid’s company. She guessed she’d gotten so caught up in her White Knight business that she’d never found the time to make friends with a lot of the school’s population.

Cupid just winked. “Don’t worry about it.” Darling supposed she wasn’t the only one with a fondness for keeping secrets.

-

Thankfully for Darling, the only person on the Heroics Grounds was Chase Redford, who was practicing sweeping swings of his sword on some dummies. She could train in peace. Darling crept to a nearby sword barrel, pulled a light, easy blade, and rushed Chase. “Always keep your guard up, Redford!” She called out, wanting to give the poor chap a chance.

Chase turned just quickly enough to block, face alight with surprise. He gritted his teeth as they clashed, before he attempted to counter. Darling parried, before knocking him to his feet. He huffed out a laugh, and applauded. “Amazing as always, White Knight.” He staggered back to his feet, grinning brightly.

On instinct, Darling glanced around the area, ensuring that no one’d heard Chase call her that. Not that it mattered - everyone knew by this point - but old habits died hard. Once she’d confirmed there was nobody in the vicinity, she chuckled lightly. “No wonder you’re trying to get extra practice in.” She teased, strolling over to the dummy beside Chase’s, blade in hand.

Despite the fact that Chase had blown Darling’s cover as the White Knight, she’d taken a liking to him. They both followed a similar code of knight’s honour, loved Wonderland, and he was good sparring practice - especially now that Daring was preoccupied with wallowing. Plus, they had something else in common.

“Y’know, Darling..” Chase’s face went as red as his namesake as he flubbed a strike at the dummy, twisting his wrist awkwardly. “Uh, your brother’s cute.”

They were both incredibly gay.

Darling raised her eyebrows, the conversation she’d had a few weeks ago with Rosabella replaying in her mind. “Which one?” Daring and Dexter both had their admirers, Daring obviously more so.

This queer similarity was convenient, as Darling now had someone who shared a lot of her struggles. Someone who made her feel like she wasn’t a mistake for loving who she did.

“Daring.” Chase sputtered, before folding his arms defensively. “What?” Darling didn’t even realised the amused face she’d been making. “He’s pretty, and good with a sword, and-“

“You know what else he is?” Darling stuck her sword into the ground, and leant against it. Chase’s eyes lit up with curiosity. “Straight.” And she snuffed that fire out.

People assumed Chase and Darling were dating, and that was a rumour Darling was happy to let fester. While the thought of dating Chase made her feel violently ill for many reasons, it made people think she and Chase were straight, so needs must.

Chase frowned, raising his sword again. “You just had to crush my dreams.” He complained semi-jokingly, throwing an aggressive swing of his sword at the dummy, striking dead on the target on its torso. “I mean, he’s one of the only cute single guys at this school, after all.”

Darling raised her eyebrows, swinging her blade at her dummy. She almost severed its head with her force. “Single? Isn’t he dating Apple White?” She wanted to run to the nearest bathroom and either cry or throw up as soon as she said that. Godmother, she needed to get over it.

Chase seemed to have noticed the hurt in her tone, and sighed softly. “Don’t subject yourself to that.” He chastised, giving Darling a light shove on the shoulder, in some attempt to kick her back into gear. He glanced upward, eyes lighting up. “Ah! Speak of the Devil, and she doth appear.”

Darling looked up. Apple, accompanied by Holly and Poppy O’Hair, was making her way down a nearby path into the Enchanted Forest. If Darling wasn’t sure whether Apple knew she was there, she was certain of it when she noticed Apple was deathly pale, and keeping her eyes locked on the ground beneath her.

Darling knew she should’ve looked away, but she couldn’t help staring. Holly was speaking softly to Apple, trying to calm the poor thing down. Poppy waved at Darling and Chase, but she quickly stopped when Holly slapped her shoulder.

Apple tore her eyes away from the ground to stare back at Darling. In the moment their eyes met Darling heart pounded violently, and her face flushed. She quickly looked away.

“Aren’t you gonna talk to her?” Chase asked, glancing down at Darling. “Y’know, after-“

“Have you seen how she looks?” Darling was surprised when her voice came out a panicked whisper. “I made her that pale, and afraid, and-“ She stopped herself, taking a deep breath. She wasn’t going to blow up in front of Chase. She gritted her teeth and swung her sword at the dummy. The strike was forceful but blind, and barely nicked the side of the dummy.

“She’s your destined True Love!” Chase exclaimed, too loudly. “You should be pursuing-“

Darling swung her sword at him, if only to get him to shut up. He blocked quicker, this time, and countered better. Pushing all thoughts of Apple out of her mind, Darling focused, putting her all into this duel with Chase.

After a while, she heard soft, hasty footsteps from Apple’s direction. She couldn’t help but turn to look. Had she been lingering, and run away-? She didn’t get much time to contemplate it before Chase knocked her down. “Keep your guard up, Charming!” He chuckled, grinning at Darling.

“Don’t get too cocky, Redford.” She warned, pulling herself back to her feet, and readying her blade for another round.

“Miss Charming. Mister Redford.” Before they could clash again, the deep, warning voice Darling didn’t know she’d been dreading sounded from across the Heroics Grounds. Darling glanced over to him. Headmaster Grimm.

“Hello, Headmaster.” Darling smiled as sweetly as she could, trying to seem as Princessly as possible. That was a challenge when you were brandishing a sword and your dress was covered in dirt
from running around in the forest, but she gave it her best effort. “Getting some fresh air?”

Grimm bristled, keeping half an eye on the blade in Darling’s grip. “Someone loosed a dragon in my office.” Darling had to hold back from grinning as she darted her eyes up to Grimm’s office. Purple fire had overtaken it, and Nevermore’s head poked out of one of the windows. She felt bad for the poor thing, but in the same breath, it was admittedly very funny.

“Oh, dear. I do hope Nevermore comes out safely.” Darling spoke in earnest, while still being all prim and proper. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Chase’s raw amazement at her ability to put on such an act. Years of practice. “In fact, I could saddle up Herowing right now and go to help-“

“Wholly unnecessary, Miss Charming.” Grimm’s tone was soft and dangerous, as he wore a looming glare. “In fact, I recommend you return to your dorms, before curfew arrives. After all, the Heroics Grounds is no place for you.” His eyes flashed. “In fact, why are you on the Heroics Grounds? You’re a Princess.”
Something about that made something hot and angry rise in Darling’s chest. Unable to help herself, she played the fool. “Oh? I was getting Chase to help me with swordplay, since I’m the apparent hero of Apple’s story now.” She’d mostly said it to irritate Grimm, which was stupid, she acknowledged, but she wanted to watch him squirm.

Grimm’s eyes went dark, and he straightened himself to seem taller. “You are not.” Oddly enough, his gaze flickered to Chase, as he gave him a pointed look: a look that said keep her in line. Darling wanted to kick Grimm in the shins, but held back.

Chase’s brow furrowed. “She kissed her awake, didn’t she?” If Chase was one thing, it was a stickler for the rules. “By the Storybook definition, they’re True Loves.” The first thing he’d done upon entering Ever After was learn its rules. He knew them better than Darling at this point, and he was adamant for them to be abided by. Darling hated rules, unless they were in her favour. Like now.

Grimm puffed up his chest, trying to become taller than Chase, despite the fact they were around the same height. “Two girls cannot be True Loves, Mister Redford. That’s simply unnatural.” The softness was seeping out of his voice, leaving raw anger and danger in its wake.

Alarm bells rang in Darling’s head as she realised the joke wouldn’t be funny for much longer. But she’d endured a lot, thanks to this man and what he represented. What he was now preaching to them. So she pushed it. “So you’re saying destiny was wrong? The Storybook was wrong?”

She knew she’d struck a nerve. It was what she’d intended. His face went deathly white, and he grabbed her arm too forcefully, causing Darling to try and pull away before realising that was stupid. Grimm held his grip, and Darling’s stomach lurched. “I’ll escort you back to your dorms, Miss Charming.” With that, he began pulling Darling alongside him.

They walked in silence, and Darling focused on not throwing up. She let her eyes wander back to Grimm’s office. The fire was mostly gone, along with Nevermore. Black smoke billowed into the evening sky. Hopefully Nevermore was safe back with Raven.

Grimm didn’t speak. He didn’t look in Darling’s direction at all. Darling supposed she was thankful for that. All Grimm’d do was spout tripe about how Darling wasn’t a hero, she was a Princess, and should act as such. And that wouldn’t get them anywhere. Silence was far sweeter.

They reached the girls’ dorms, where Grimm stopped. “I’m sure you can find your way from here, Miss Charming.” His voice was much calmer, now he’d had time to cool down. “Goodnight.” He turned and left, thank Fairy Godmother.

Darling turned to the dorms, and wondered. Would Apple be back from her walk?

-

Darling’s gut tensed as she stood outside Apple and Raven’s dorm room. She felt uncharacteristically nervous. Gently, she knocked on their door.

Raven answered, eyes widening in surprise as she saw her guest. “Darling?” She stayed still for a few seconds from shock, before stepping aside to let Darling in. “I, uh, definitely wasn’t expecting a visit from you today. What’s up?” She led Darling to her bed, sitting down and patting the space beside her.

Nevermore was curled up in a blanket, small again, but she crawled into Raven’s lap once she sat down. Darling sat on the soft purple sheets, gaze wandering over to Apple’s half of the room. Empty. “Apple’s out on a walk with Holly and Poppy.” Raven explained, following Darling’s gaze.

Darling bristled, nodding. “I see.” She spoke flatly. Around Raven, she felt a little more comfortable showing her emotions. Something about the Rebel helped her let her guard down. “Raven.. I need help.” She laced her hands together tightly, anxiety boiling in her gut. “I really need to talk to Apple about things, but I don’t want to be.. Invasive. Or, uh, pushy. Or anything like that.” She smiled nervously, pushing her thumbs together.

Raven’s eyebrows raised, and she nodded. “Right. Well..” She flexed her fingers, looking off. “Apple hasn’t been so great.” Darling’s heart dropped. “I don’t think she’s upset with you, specifically, she’s more just.. Terrified. Not just of you, but of what this means.” She explained, voice somewhat raw with hurt.

Darling stared at the purple sheets she was sat on. They were interwoven with ornate black patterns, befitting of Raven, yet.. Also not. Not telling her full story. “I talked to Cupid today.” Darling didn’t feel like speaking, but decided she had to. “She said that I had to take some kind of action, or this’ll never be resolved. But..” Her shoulders tensed. She took a shaky breath in, and then a sob out.

Darling was finally crying.

“I don’t want to scare her any more than she’s already scared, or hurt her any more than she’s already hurt..” Her voice was cracked and pained and ugly and unprincessly, but she didn’t care. She didn’t bother rubbing at her tears. Let them fall. Airs and manners and courtship and Princessology didn’t matter - what mattered was Apple, not any of Ever After’s stupid rules.

She distantly felt Raven’s arms around her. Raven’s hand rubbing her back in soothing circles. “It’s gonna be alright, Darling.” The Rebel was pushing a lot of the hurt from her voice, focusing on keeping Darling together. Who would’ve guessed the daughter of the Evil Queen would be so kind? “I’ll talk to Apple, and try and get her to talk to you, okay?” She assured, in a soft, easing voice.
“Thank you.” Darling was hunched forward, hands over her eyes. What would her Mother say if she saw Darling like this? ‘Pull yourself together, you’re a Charming. Princesses don’t cry like fools, Darling. You’re letting the family down.’ Who the hex cared about a family who treated her like that? And the last thing she wanted to think about was her Father’s thoughts on the matter.

Raven’s mouth was quirked into a frown, as she peered quietly at Darling. “Darling, I’m really worried about you.” Her voice was low and serious, as she pulled back. She held Darling’s shoulders and pushed her up, so that their gazes were forcefully locked. “I’ve never seen you cry before.”

Darling choked out a watery laugh. “Is that a problem?” She questioned, taking Raven’s pointed stare as a challenge, and staring right back.

“I mean, yeah. We’re friends, but you never.. Well, you always seem so.. Bottled.” Raven stammered and tripped on her words as she tried to find the correct ones, but the ones she acquired struck a note with Darling.

Darling shrugged - unprincessly - and her eyes darted away. “Princesses are meant to be seen and not heard.” A particular favourite phrase of Father’s, especially, that one. It was the only excuse she could come up with. “That’s what I was always told when I was trying to unload my emotional baggage, so I presumed no one wanted to hear it.”

Raven’s mouth half opened in surprise, as her grip on Darling’s shoulders slipped. “Darling, that’s incredibly unhealthy.” Raven pointed out, indignant. Darling shrugged again. “Seriously. I don’t mind if you ‘unload your emotional baggage’-“ She did little air-quotes with her fingers, “-on me. And you should be heard as much as you like.” She put an arm around Darling’s shoulders. “Be you, Darling, not what everyone thinks you should be.”

Darling laughed again, more heart in it this time. “I haven’t been struggling with being heard, Raven, trust me.” Raven grinned as Darling explained the whole quarrel she and Chase’d had with Grimm earlier.

They fell into easier, lighter conversation - but that didn’t mean Raven’s little lecture had been lost on Darling. Quite the opposite, actually. Be you, not what everyone thinks you should be. Of course, she took that as a challenge. Came as habit.

At the end of their chat, Darling sighed happily. “Thank you, Raven.” She mumbled. Mumbled! Princesses never mumbled. “You’re the best.” Warmth seeped into her voice, as she slowly sat up to smile at Raven. In a world of rules, pressures and injustice, the fact that such hexcellent people were by her side made Darling feel like there was a reason to keep going, keep fighting.

Raven blushed, a hand going to her own face. “Ah, it’s nothing.” She smiled bashfully, fidgeting. “You and Apple are some of my Best Friends Forever After, of course I wanna help you guys.” She looked off, face still flushed bright red.

Darling chucked softly, face lighting up through the remnants of her tears. “Well, I’d better get going.” She stood smoothly, taking a steady breath in, and out. She pulled out a handkerchief to dry her tears, sobering. No one needed to know she’d been crying. “Thank you again, Raven.” She walked toward the door, before turning back to wink. “Charm you later.”

Raven waved goodbye, still hot and blushed.

-

Two agonising days later, Darling was sat alone in her dorm after classes, reading the ‘101 Ways To Court A Princess’ book again. Rosabella was gone, trying to find some kind of fix for the now raging winter outside, which prevented Darling from going outside to train.

Rushed footsteps went past her door. Instinctively, she pulled a sword from behind the headboard of her bed and headed before the door. Given the amount of craziness that happened at this school, you could never be too careful. As she went to open it, she heard a soft crinkling as she stepped on something.

A letter.

She opened the door and looked out. Whoever had delivered it had gotten out of the hall as quickly as possible. She shut the door and picked up the letter, walking to her desk. She opened the envelope, finding a small note.

‘Meet me in the Pixies’ Clearing after classes tomorrow. We need to talk about this.’

The only signature was a drawing of an apple.

Darling’s heart skipped a beat. Hex, she’d been waiting a while for this. Excitement mixed with fear in her gut into a tense anticipation. On one hand, she’d finally be getting closure on how Apple felt about things. On the other, she may get confirmation of her worst fears about her feeling hurt and violated by The Kiss. It wasn’t like Apple had any consent to that, right?

But maybe Apple would see the positive side. Maybe it would be okay. Maybe Darling would get the Happily Ever After she’d wanted since she’d realised how she felt.

Probably not, but a girl could dream.

Chapter Text

Apple White’s life was supposed to be perfect.

Her fairytale had been spelled out for her from birth. Get poisoned, be woken by her prince, live Happily Ever After. From early childhood, she had been told Daring was her Prince Charming. Everything was clear and certain. Everything was totally in her control. If need be, time itself would surely stop for Apple White.

But then the Dragon Games had happened. And the Evil Queen threw a wrench in the works. Darling, not Daring, gave the kiss that had woken her.

It was just because it hadn’t been Raven that had given her the poisoned apple, she assured herself. It was Faybelle. So Daring was her prince. It was just a fluke. And Raven had destroyed the storybook, so maybe—

She kept making excuses to herself as she lay awake at night, contemplating this new uncertainty. She hated it. It had started on Legacy Day, and had now culminated with.. This.

As for Darling? She had no idea what Darling thought about everything - if it bothered her, she didn’t make it clear - and Apple didn’t know how she felt about her. Part of her resented Darling, who had stolen her Happily Ever After. But.. Darling couldn’t have foreseen this, right? Maybe she was just as confused as Apple was. Apple’d been told it was meant to be CPR, after all. It wasn’t intentional.

Maybe, just maybe, she’d had a small crush on her when she rescued them in Wonderland - but she’d been covered in armour at the time! She’d thought Darling was a boy. It was natural. But the feeling of electricity whenever Darling was around - whenever Darling would give her back a textbook she’d lost, whenever they’d get Hocus Lattes - that didn’t go away once she realised she was a girl. And that terrified her. She was Apple White, heiress to the Snow White story - she wasn’t supposed to feel something for a girl.

She’d decided it was just friendship. Darling was her friend, after all. And she’d felt similar things toward her other close friends too. Sure, they weren’t Best Friends Forever After, but she liked Darling. She was strong, smart, and competent. But if Apple was honest.. she preferred her to Daring.

Daring had been distant since ‘The Kiss’. He just seemed ashamed of himself. Apple was ashamed of him - even if it wasn’t his fault. She couldn’t help it. Her world was crumbling around her: she had some right to be upset about it.

And upset she was. She’d started crying a lot more since the Dragon Games. Raven’d hug her close as she sobbed, Briar’d desperately try to support her.

Briar seemed terrified that Apple was terrified. She tried to throw parties, take Apple out for coffee, or shopping: anything that would cheer her up. She seemed desperate for Apple to just smile again, and seemed to resent Darling for making her so upset. Apple didn’t want that: it wasn’t Darling’s fault. Maybe. But she couldn’t bring herself to even mention Darling, let alone defend her.

Raven, Rebel that she was, told her nothing was set in stone. If she didn’t like this destiny, she could carve a new one. The idea of that made Apple’s stomach turn. After being such a Royal, after everything was so certain - to face yet more uncertainty like that felt impossible.

Her three closest friends, whom she’d been leaning on throughout the fallout of The Kiss - Briar, Ashlynn and Blondie - were all off attempting to save winter. So Holly and Poppy O’Hair were the ones to come to the rescue, so to speak. They’d brought Apple out on a walk in the Enchanted Forest to clear her head.

But they hadn’t even left the school before her head was thrown into even more chaos.

“Some fresh air will be great for you, Apple.” Holly was a solid ninety percent of the conversation, as Apple was stuck in forlorn silence and Poppy seemed to struggle with how awkward the situation was. “You’ve been looking really pale recently.” She sniffed, looking over to the sheets of snow covering the school grounds. “Though, I suppose the weather isn’t helping. Crystal really picked a bad time to show up, huh?”

Holly went on, but Apple tuned it out. She didn’t mean to - Holly was a wonderful friend for bringing her out here, and trying to carry natural conversation by herself, but Apple couldn’t feel happy. It felt like such an impossibility.

Poppy did her best to keep up with Holly’s conversation, but she was oddly absentminded. Whenever Apple’d look over at her, she’d find her smiling back in an oddly.. Understanding way. It was strange, to say the least, but Apple didn’t have any mental vacancy to contemplate it. But regardless of it all, at least the walk was somewhat of a distraction.

And then they passed the Heroics Grounds.

Apple supposed she should’ve expected Darling to be out there. It made sense - it was the only time she’d be able to be out there without getting caught - but it still blindsided Apple. She stared straight down at the ground. Darling and Chase Redford were out on the Grounds, just a few metres away. She’d partially gone out on this walk to avoid passing Darling, yet here she was.

“Ah, hexes..” Holly muttered, before putting an arm around Apple’s shoulders. Apple tensed, so Holly pulled away. “Apple, I’m sorry, let’s go-“

“It’s fine.” Apple felt like such an idiot. Just being in Darling’s vicinity made her pulse accelerate and breath shorten. It wasn’t fine at all, the terror in her voice made it clear as day that it wasn’t fine, but she insisted it was fine anyway.

She stopped walking, and looked up. She couldn’t help it. She gazed out toward Darling, and found Darling gazing back. In the moment their eyes met, Apple’s heart fluttered on Rebel wings. Darling quickly looked away, but now that Apple was watching, she was spellbound.

Chase and Darling talked about something - Apple caught the words ‘True Love’, which made her stomach turn - and then they clashed swords, a clang reverberating through the Grounds. And oh, Godmother, Apple couldn’t believe she’d ever used the word ‘grace’ before she’d seen Darling swing a blade. It reminded her of Duchess’ tragic ballets, of Meeshell’s gorgeous singing voice, of Cedar’s beautiful landscape paintings.

The way Darling’s eyes shone when she saw a fault in Chase’s block, the bright laugh she’d let out when she successfully countered - Apple’d watched duels before many a time, but never had she been so engaged by one.

And then she realised she’d been watching for far too long, and then Holly and Poppy were waiting for her to snap out of it. Curses! Apple hastily staggered toward Holly and Poppy, who were a few paces ahead, and they continued into the forest.

-

The walk concluded at nightfall, when Apple returned to her dorm. It was pretty far past curfew, at Poppy’s insistence. Despite the length, it didn’t clear Apple’s head at all. In fact, it only gave her more to think about.

Raven’s head bobbed up from her book quickly after Apple came in, so it was certain that the Rebel had something on her mind. It could wait, though. Apple had wallowing to do. Yeah, her schedule had to be adjusted to fit up to 30 minutes of wallowing. Any more than that and she’d be cutting into thronework time, of course. She slumped down on her bed, and pulled the book Darling had gotten for her onto her lap.

‘101 Ways To Court A Prince’. How ironic, given the entire root of the problem with Darling was so inherently.. queer. She gazed at the portait of the rugged man on the front cover, trying hard to feel something toward him. Her friends had always talked about how cute boys were, and Apple had always nodded along, assuming that she felt the same way, when the truth was she felt little to nothing romantically or sexually toward men.

It seemed that everything Darling brought into Apple’s life made her feel like a mess. This book, the confusing revelation that Darling was the White Knight of Wonderland, and The Kiss. It had all shaken Apple’s book-perfect life to its foundations, leaving her with broken pieces and uncertainty.
Well, if the foundations were so fragile in the first place, they were probably going to be broken eventually.

“Apple?” Raven called out, distant, unimportant. Apple wasn’t done wallowing. “Apple!” The rebel’s voice sharpened, snapping Apple out of her misery. She found Raven staring at her with a concerned expression. “Can I talk to you about something?”

Apple shuffled, refusing to meet Raven’s eyes. “Okay?” She was being rude, and Raven absolutely didn’t deserve it, but she couldn’t help herself. No part of her wished to talk to anyone - not even her BFFA. It was so new and bizarre and Apple hated it. She’d never been reluctant to chat with a friend. Why was it suddenly so difficult?

Raven pat the space on her bed next to her. Oh, so an intimate talk about something. Apple was half tempted to reject and crawl into her own bed, but the intense gleam in Raven’s eyes promised importance. So Apple complied, putting the book down on her nightstand and moving to sit down next to Raven.

“It’s about Darling.” Oh, the dreaded name. Apple thought she’d banned the use of it in this room. “She came to talk to me earlier.” Apple’s blood ran cold, as fear clutched at her heart. Godmother, why did she have to be so afraid all the time? “She’s really worried about you, y’know.” Raven watched Apple warily as she spoke, showing the same worry. “And she wants to try and resolve things.”

Apple stopped breathing. She didn’t feel ready to resolve things. I mean, she’d been several metres away from Darling just earlier and even that had almost given her a panic attack. “With, like, a conversation?” She whispered, breathless and scared.

Raven nodded. “There won’t be any other way to fix things. You can’t go on avoiding her like the plague, Apple. You have to face it sometime.” That stubborn force that Apple had once despised crept into her voice, as she put one of her hands over Apple’s. “She may not let it show, but Darling’s in terrible shape. You both are. I don’t want to see my best friends in such a bad state.” Her voice cracked with hurt, as she pleaded.

What kind of future Queen of Ever After was Apple, if she couldn’t even face talking to a friend? Clearly, she wasn’t fit for the rule if she couldn’t stand up and persevere. Apple’s trial for her worthiness had come in the form of a darling knight, and she had to face it head on - whether she liked it or not. “You’re right.” Was her only reply, accompanied with a shallower nod than she wanted.

Raven’s face broke into a relieved smile. “Thank Fairy Godmother.” She moved her hand up to Apple’s shoulder, where she lightly pat. “Trust me, Apple, Darling’s not a bad person. She wants nothing but the best for you.” She assured. That natural aversion to Raven’s advice surfaced again, but.. When had Raven ever led Apple astray before?

“I’ll talk to her.” Apple barely mustered the confidence to say even that. “It’s just.. A big curveball, you know?” She laughed, but it wasn’t funny. “I mean, I’ve been raised all my life to think Daring - or any male knight, really - would be the one to save me. So, being told Darling woke me up? It’s really not what I expected.” Her hands started shaking again. “And, like- Who’s ever heard of two girls being together? Two Queens ruling Ever After? That’s not how it works!” She was getting hysterical, she knew, but she couldn’t stop.

“Calm down. Breathe.” Raven gently instructed. She carefully wrapped her arms around Apple’s shoulders, and Apple leant into her calming presence. “It’s going to be alright, Apple. You’ve got no obligation to rule with her, anyway.” Oh, here it came. Apple felt like she was drowning, again, in the well. “You can write your own story. And it doesn’t have to involve Darling, or anyone if you don’t want it to. The Storybook of Legends is obsolete, you saw that yourself.” Kicking and thrashing, unable to rise, desperate for a hand to pull her out—

It always came back to the destiny conflict, when it came to Raven. Apple’s voice was waterlogged when she spoke again. “I want to follow destiny.” That’s all she’d ever wanted. Destiny was what kept the world around her secure. What kept her from sinking under again. “Even if I had your fate, I’d still want that.” Sure, she was dealt a good hand, but even if she wasn’t, destiny was clear cut and certain. There was no mystery to it. At least, not usually. Even if she had to be the baddest of then all, she would take the given path. “And if that destiny is with Darling, then I will face it.” Destiny was pointing her to Darling Charming. And hadn’t destiny been her guide all this time?

Raven raised her eyebrows, and her mouth crept into a small smile. “I’ll probably never understand how you think. But I’m glad you’re facing up to your problems. Well, Darling isn’t a problem in herself, but still.” She pulled Apple into a full hug, one that was gladly accepted. After a few moments Raven pulled back, and held up her pinky. “Now, you promise you’ll talk to Darling and give her a chance?”

Apple smiled, tired, but happy. She locked pinkies with Raven. “It’s a promise.” She assured.

“Great. Now,” Raven yawned, rubbing her palm against her forehead. “We’d better get to bed. We’ve got Science and Sorcery tomorrow, and Professor Rumplestiltskin is gonna be super mad if we’re half awake in his class.” She laid down as Apple stood, and stretched out. “I don’t wanna spin straw for the next two weeks.”

“Of course.” Apple nodded, making her way back to her side of the room. She likely wasn’t going to go to bed, given the small stack of unfinished thronework on her desk, but that was fine. She hadn’t been sleeping too well recently anyway. “Goodnight, Raven.”

“Night.”

—

Apple needed everything to be as private as possible. She wrote a letter because she was desperate not to be seen talking to Darling. She had Raven deliver it, and she had them meet at the Pixies’ Clearing, the most secretive place she knew was nearby.

And that was where she waited. The magic of the pixies repelled the winter here, leaving this small patch of forest unaffected. She sat on an old stump, gazing over the grasses at the bed on which she had laid while in her enchanted sleep. Where she’d laid when her whole world had been turned upside-down. Well, she supposed her world had been turned upside-down at Legacy Day, and this had turned it upside-down again, which would make it rightside-up - wait, no-

Her whirlwind of overthinking was interrupted by soft footsteps in the grass. She snapped to attention as Darling walked toward her, coming into view from between two trees. She was dressed in her usual dress, padded with metal-plated armour, and she had a sword strapped to her belt. Her hair was braided back in the safe way for dragon riding.

In the light that spilled out between the trees, she was striking. Apple had always known she was pretty - she was a Charming, after all - but it had never hit her this hard. She had a quiet nobility she had seen in portraits of King Charmings past; the kind of nobility Daring and Dexter didn’t seem to have. At least, not in such an alluring way.

She had the air of a knight. That alongside her feminine features made Apple’s heart pound.

“You wanted to talk?” Apple snapped out of her trance. It was the first time Darling had spoken to her since.. Since everything. Her voice was soft and somewhat tentative, and she kept a cautious distance between them. Apple appreciated that. She wasn’t sure how close she could take Darling being without breaking down.

Apple nodded, trying to get her words together. She’d been practicing this with Raven, she just needed to get herself together. Her breath caught. She wouldn’t cry. Not already. Not before she’d started. Thank Fairy Godmother Darling was patient. Apple had completely lost what she’d wanted to say.

“I.. Wanted to talk to you. About where we both stand on..” Apple gestured anxiously to the bed she’d been woken on. “This.” Darling quietly nodded, signalling for her to go on. Apple swallowed. “I don’t hate you, if that’s what you’re worried about.” She carefully eyed the distance between them. “At least, I don’t think I do. I’m just-“ Her breath caught again, and she put a hand up to her chest, desperate not to have a panic attack now. “Scared.” She whispered, but her voice carried through the silent grove.

Darling’s eyes were wide with concern. She bit her lip, her perfectly white teeth resting on it for a few moments, before she spoke again. “Apple..” It was so strange to hear her voice again. To hear her just saying her name set Apple’s heart racing. “I know you’re scared. And.. Whatever we do, it’s up to you.” Her hands gently clenched into fists, then unclenched. Apple couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to hold them. “If you ask me? I’m willing to make this work.”

Apple’s eyes widened in surprise, as Darling stayed level. “I’m just glad not to be a damsel-in-distress, obviously, but.. I’m glad you’re the one I saved, out of everyone else.” A pink blush gently dashed across her cheeks - it would have been cute if not for these circumstances. “But, ah- You probably think I’m the worst person in Ever After to be stuck with, right?”

“No, you’re not.” Even Apple was surprised at how quickly she herself objected. She caught herself, trying to think of a way to follow that up. “I mean, this isn’t ideal, my mother-“ She choked, trying to steel herself, “My mother won’t be happy, and I’m supposed to be the Queen, but-“ She couldn’t stop the tears from pouring down her cheeks this time. “I do like you, Darling.” Her voice was cracked and weak.

Darling made a start to rush to Apple’s side before stopping herself. “Apple, it’s okay.” She assured, still keeping a respectful distance. “As I said, it’s up to you. You can go on trying to make it work with Daring, or whoever - or you can write your own story. It doesn’t have to be this if you don’t want it to be.” A gleam of hurt shone in her eyes when she said that. Part of Apple desperately wanted Darling to come closer, to comfort her, but she didn’t know if she could handle that.

Well, it wasn’t like she was handling anything right now.

Apple tried to calm her crying long enough to talk. “Can- Can you-“ It didn’t really work, but she shuffled over on the stump and patted the empty spot beside her, trying to get the message across.

Darling’s mouth opened in surprise for a moment, before her mouth set into a resolute line, and she walked to the stump, gently sitting down beside Apple. Slowly, carefully, she wrapped her arms around Apple, who buried her head into the taller girl’s chest.

She smelt of steel and woodland, with a faint undertone of ginger and peppermint. It was a scent that made Apple feel safe. Blade at her side, Darling could protect her from any danger, tangible or not. It calmed her quicker than Raven or Briar would have. She felt like she could stay in her arms Forever After.

“Apple.” Darling’s tone was urgent enough to make Apple lift her head slightly. “I.. Don’t think you understand how strongly I feel about this.” Apple blinked her eyes, bloodshot from crying, not grasping what Darling meant. “You say you like me, but I like you, Apple. As in.. I feel like I’m in love with you.”

Part of Apple, what she would’ve once called the logical part, wanted to pull away from Darling when she said that. But.. It made her heart pound out of her chest. It ached in such a sweet way. “I know you probably don’t feel that way, but.. I wanted to lay all the cards on the table.” Darling bit her lip again, and Apple’s mind wandered to how it must’ve felt when Darling had kissed her.

Her mind was in a spiral. How did she reply to that? With all these thoughts and feelings buzzing around, she needed to know more to figure things out. “How did you know? That you felt like this.” She asked, voice barely a whisper. She hoped it didn’t sound like she was questioning Darling’s feelings - she wasn’t - she just wanted to know what it felt like. To understand.

Darling blushed again, two soft pink smudges appearing on her cheeks. “It’s a.. Feeling. Obviously.” She huffed, and Apple felt slightly comforted by the fact that she wasn’t the only one whose thoughts became scattered. “It’s like.. Being around someone, and feeling like you could be around them Forever After. But, uh, it’s more than that.” She idly flexed her fingers, clearly struggling to explain. “You’ve heard True Love be described to you before, right? Your whole destiny revolves around it.”

Apple slowly nodded. “Yeah, my mom told me about it a lot, but.. Then she’d turn around and declare that was what I felt for Daring.” Hurt flashed in Darling’s eyes again, before Apple went on. “But.. Her descriptions never really seemed to fit my feelings for him. He’s a good friend, but.. I don’t feel like I could spend Forever After with him. He’s a little too, uh-“ She cut herself off, realising this was Daring’s sister she was talking to.

“Self-centred? Yeah, I know.” Darling softly laughed, and it was a welcome sound - one that filled Apple with warmth. Apple laughed, too. After the turmoil of the past few weeks, it felt strange to laugh - but it was nice. “There’s more to True Love, though.” Darling sobered, but the warmth in her expression remained. “It’s a longing - you want the person desperately, knowing they’ll bring you your Happily Ever After.” Some hurt carried in her voice, and Apple came to realise.

Darling had felt that longing for her. At least since the Dragon Games - maybe even longer. All the time they’d spent together - friendly outings, so Apple had thought - must have been agonising for her.

A sad shine in Darling’s eye confirmed that she knew what Apple was thinking. “To be with that person - it’s worth the longing. It’s warm. And sweet - like honey. And electric.” She lightly brushed Apple with one of the arms she had around her as she spoke.

Apple tried to think back. To the time she’d spent with everyone she’d known - not just Daring - to figure out if she’d ever felt like that. She was certain at this point that she had no romantic feelings for Daring, and the fact that his kiss hadn’t woken her just confirmed that he wasn’t her True Love.

And as she thought on, no boy had made her feel that way. Hunter, Dexter, Sparrow.. No one had made her feel a warmth, or a longing, or anything like Darling had described. So, somewhat reluctantly, she thought to the girls she knew.

Raven’s drive, her determination, and her raw kindness - though it hurt Apple’s destiny that Raven was so good, it was still what drew Apple to her as a friend.

Briar was adventurous and strong and Apple’s BFFA. Briar would go to the end of the earth for Apple and Apple would do the same. Sure, she was a little reckless, but that was part of what made her so fun.

And Darling..

Darling was a strange mix of what made Apple love her BFFAs: she was a kind, determined Rebel like Raven, and adventurous and strong like Briar, but.. There was something even more that drew her to Darling, that threw Apple’s head into confused thoughts about what Darling’s hands felt like, how her voice would sound whispered close into her ear, and what it’d taste like to kiss her. Again.

Apple had always admired Ever After’s knights, especially knowing that one would one day be her True Love. Darling mixing knighthood, honour and chivalry with such feminine beauty and some of her favourite traits from her BFFAs made her realise.

She liked Darling.

Darling watched Apple quietly, brow slightly creased in confusion, and some concern. But she was patient and respectful despite her own worries. She was so courteous, and more of a charming knight than Daring had ever seemed to be.
Apple didn’t know how to voice her thoughts. And now she understood how she felt, her thoughts about Darling had reached a fever-pitch. So she leaned in, gazing into Darling’s eyes, and, once she’d made her intentions clear..

She kissed Darling.

Ribbons of soft, golden light flew through the clearing as warmth burst within Apple. Darling kissed back tentatively, encircling her hands around Apple’s trembling waist to keep her secure.

Apple had never felt so complete. Everything in her life had led up to this, to being with Darling. This was where she had always meant to be. She was irrevocably awake, in the arms of her Princess Charming.

Darling gently pulled back, her smile anxious. “Are you sure about this? I don’t want you to feel like you’re forcing yourself into this, or-“

Apple kissed her again, needing her close. After two weeks of horrible uncertainty, this feeling of knowing where she was supposed to be felt fantastic.

She finally pulled back when she needed to breathe. Darling laughed softly, running ahand through Apple’s hair. “I guess that means you’re sure.” Despite her reluctant words, Apple had never seen Darling with such a bright smile on her face. It made her realise how.. Untrue the smiles Darling had often given out to others were. Reserved, and polite, and Princessly. But whenever Darling was with Apple, suddenly her smiles were as bright and joyful as any Apple had ever seen. She wanted Darling to always smile like that.

A blush heated Apple’s cheeks, as she let herself lean against Darling’s shoulder. Darling kept a secure arm around her waist. “Maybe, uh- We could-“ Apple stammered, suddenly forgetting all of the courtship training she’d had throughout her life. “Go for a walk? In the woods? Tomorrow?” Her fingers laced together, as anxiety started to swirl in her gut.

To her relief, Darling grinned. “I’d love that, but for now - we’d better get back.” She gazed up to the sky, sunset orange cascading in through the clouds above. “Can’t imagine Apple White being out so far past curfew.” She chuckled, a new mischief in her grin.

Apple softly laughed, getting carefully to her feet. She was dizzy from the crying, and kissing, and thinking, and not breathing for the majority of her time sat on that stump. Darling stood beside her, a hand on her to keep her from falling.

“Are you sure you’re fit to ride a dragon?” Darling asked with some concern, as the two walked together out of the grove. The pixies had taken care of Braebyrn and Herowing, who waiting patiently for their riders to return.

Apple huffed, determination searing in her. “I’ll be fine, White Knight.” She climbed onto Braebyrn’s back, a mischievous grin forming on her face. “In fact, I’ll race you back.” And as soon as she’d said that, Braebyrn shot off like a rocket.

If only she could’ve seen Darling’s face.

-

Wow, Apple really hadn’t thought asking Darling on a date through. How did she even go about dating a girl, anyway? Or dating, at all? She’d been betrothed to Daring her whole life, it wasn’t like she’d gone through all the rhetoric. She needed to learn, and quick, if she wanted this to work out.

Her first instinct, naturally, was literature. She had that 101 Ways To Court A Prince book, and she was pretty certain she’d seen one for princesses, as well. But going to the library, it was nowhere to be found. Perhaps someone had already taken it out. How inconvenient.

With that being a fairy fail, she ended up asking Raven for advice. Raven had dated - namely with Dexter - so maybe she’d be able to provide some insight. Truthfully, she felt a bit of an idiot asking Raven for love advice, given that she was The Most Popular Girl In The School and she should’ve at least had some experience dating around. She supposed this whole gay thing had something to do with that.

Wow, that was still so strange to think about. She, Apple White, was a lesbian. The Future Queen of Ever After just loved nothing more than kissing women.

Anyway! Apple had a sit down with Raven, but unfortunately, it wasn’t particularly fruitful. Perhaps Raven wasn’t the best to talk to on the subject, because she had a tendency to blush up whenever romance was mentioned. While endearing, it didn’t really progress Apple’s quest to learn.

Raven only really had one good piece of advice to impart. “Well, maybe you could, y’know, talk to someone who knows Darling well?” She suggested, tone awkward. “Rosabella isn’t around, but I think she’s also friends with Ginger. Maybe ask her what Darling’d want in a date, or something.” Despite her stuttering and sputtering, Raven’s words rang true.

All Apple knew about Ginger was that she was a cook. So, Apple did the only logical thing and hung around the Cooking Class-ic room for half an hour. Ginger did eventually show up, so it didn’t end up being absolute madness. “Ginger!” Apple exclaimed, probably too excited. She couldn’t help it: any project she was given, she had to attack with vigour.

Definitely too excited. Ginger jumped almost a foot in the air, and barely kept on her feet upon landing. “Apple?” She spouted, bracing her hands on the back of a counter as if to steady herself against Apple’s raw enthusiasm. “What do you want?” Clearly she didn’t mean to sound so hostile, as her eyes hastily darted away after she’d said it.

Apple didn’t mind, though. Rooming with Raven Queen made it easy to brush off little things like that. “You’re friends with Darling, right?” She asked, leaning forward over a counter island to peer at Ginger with wide eyes.

“..Yes?” Ginger was clearly treating this like some kind of hostage interrogation, holding onto the counter and squaring her shoulders defensively. “Why do you ask?” Apple honestly didn’t know what made her so terrifying to Ginger - she supposed the fact that she was, well, the top Royal at the school and Ginger was a staunch Rebel caused a bit of a rift.

Wait, was Apple even a Royal anymore? Darling was her destined hero, right? So she was sticking to the story. But then, why did it feel so rebellious?

Shoving those thoughts aside, Apple bit her lip. “Well..” Suddenly, a wave of fear hit her. She couldn’t just tell anyone about her date with Darling. Apple herself was against same-sex relationships until yesterday. But Ginger and Darling were friends, and Raven had recommended Ginger as someone to talk to, so surely it’d be fine. “Uh, I’m going on a date with Darling, today, and I was wondering if you had any advice.” Her face blushed red as she explained.

Ginger’s eyebrows raised, but she didn’t seem, well, horrified, which was a good sign. A small smile crept across her lips, and her grip on the counter loosened. “You’re in luck. I actually dated Darling a couple months ago.” Her voice lowered, almost to a whisper, as she dropped this bombshell as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “She-”

“You guys dated?” Apple couldn’t help but blurt, amazed. Right under her nose, one of Apple’s friends had been dating another girl. Months ago.

Ginger sputtered, tensing up again. “It was only for, like, a month!” She hissed, before softly huffing out. “Right after Spring Fairest. It was just a fling, really.” She swallowed hard, before pushing off the counter. “Anyway! In terms of advice, I haven’t got a whole lot? But, uh-” She pulled open a cabinet, and pulled out a cookie cutter in the shape of a sword. “Darling’s a big fan of shortbread. So we could bake her some biscuits.”

Apple grinned, clasping her hands together. “Oh, Ginger, that is a hexcellent idea!” She cried, voice bright with joy. A gift would, quite literally, sweeten the deal, and hopefully make any awkwardness on Apple’s part go down more smoothly.

Ginger shrugged, looking off bashfully. “Ah, it’s nothing, really.” She assured, before the smallest grin lit her face up with excitement. “Let’s get baking, huh?”

Baking with Ginger, as it turned out, was a lot of fun. Apple already had top grades in Cooking Class-ic, and her skill combined with Ginger’s immense talent made for what Apple was certain were the best shortbread biscuits Darling would ever have the pleasure of tasting. Hopefully.

Given the blizzard, Apple had to opt for donning a large winter coat, despite the fact it was still the middle of summer. Godmother, she hoped Briar and the others would fix that whole mess soon. Thankfully, the overhanging branches of the Enchanted Forest made the snowstorm much more manageable.

At the forest’s entrance, Darling waited, leaning serenely against a frost-covered tree. She, too, was dressed appropriate for the winter weather. In her hand she held a bright red apple, which she tossed into the air and caught routinely. She grinned when Apple neared.

“A delight to see you again, my lady.” If it were ever difficult to rationalise that the White Knight of Wonderland and Darling were the same person, the way she now stepped oh so elegantly into a knight’s bow connected the dots. She offered out the apple, her smile turning somewhat sheepish. “I don’t know if an apple is the most appropriate gift, given recent events, but it’s the only thing that grows in this part of the Enchanted Forest.”

“Wonderlandiful to see you too, Darling.” Apple curtsied, warmth coursing through her veins. It was as her story told - a Princess and her Knight. All she ever could’ve dreamed of. “And not to worry. I still love apples.” She accepted the gift from Darling with a wink. “Why do you think I’d picked it out of the basket when I was poisoned?” She chuckled, before pulling a small paper bag filled with the biscuits from her handbag, and offering them to Darling.

A spark of curiosity shone in Darling’s eyes. She laughed upon opening the bag. “I see you’ve spoken to Ginger, then.” She raised an eyebrow, before biting into the sword-shaped shortbread. Apple took a bite of her, well, apple, and the two started their walk.

The freshly fallen snow crunched beneath their feet as they strolled into the woods. The afternoon sun reflected brightly off of the icy branches of the trees. Apple noticed the acute attention Darling paid to her surroundings, searching and scanning for anything of danger or interest. That added to the sword at her belt, and it was clear that Darling brought Apple an incredibly strong sense of security.

After a short, comfortable silence, Darling broke it suddenly. “You like apples because of your destiny, right?” She asked. An innocent question on the surface, but there was a sort of strange undertone to her words that Apple couldn’t quite place.

Apple stared down at the apple in her hand, having taken a few bites taken from it already, contemplating this. She couldn’t quite describe what about the red colour and sharp taste appealed to her so much. “I suppose so, yes.” She eventually answered, with a slow nod. “It is - was - my destiny to be poisoned by an apple. It just makes the story work better if I like apples enough to pluck one out of a basket of fruit.” It was a pretty simple premise to Apple, once she’d read and learnt about frequently enough to be quite unremarkable.

However, it seemed to make Darling quite uneasy, clearly shown in the way her feet shuffled restlessly. “How much of us is determined by destiny, then?” She asked, not meeting Apple’s eye - instead opting to gaze up at the grey sky, her stride halting. Apple stopped beside her, watching with concern. “Am I my own person, or just a pawn for some arbitrary story that needs to be carried out? Is my want to fight, my care for you; is that all just because some book decided I needed to be that way to play a role?”

From what Apple had known of Darling before the past few days, all she’d ever really grasped was that the princess kept to herself. Despite knowing each other for their entire lives, more or less, Apple could never say she ever got to know her on a deeper level. Before, she’d just put that up to Darling being shy, and never given it a second thought. That theory was backed up by how flustered Darling always seemed to get whenever she talked to her. But looking back, she felt like an idiot. Of course Darling had a crush on her. Of course there was more to Darling than she was letting on.

And in this moment, Darling had opened up some of her darker doubts and fears to Apple - something she’d never seen her do. Apple knew she mustn’t misplace the gravity of this action. “You’re your own person, Darling.” She spoke with all the confidence of the queen she’d soon become. “You have the choice on whether or not you want to follow your destiny. Just because you want to take on the role of my Prince Charming doesn’t mean you’re succumbing to some higher power: you make that choice.”

The words felt strange coming out of her mouth - how long had she been preaching about heralding destiny before this? - but they felt right. She’d learned. She’d grown. There was no point tearing herself apart for what she’d previously believed. She could do nothing about those mistakes. But here, and now, she could do something positive. Be someone better.

She glanced at Darling, who stared at her like she was everything in the world. The knight’s lips curled into a grin. “Yeah.” Was the only word she could muster.

White capped mountains came into view through the swirling snowstorm, on one of which stood a mighty castle. “That’s Sleeping Beauty’s place.” Apple pointed out, eager to ease the mood. “You can tell because of the tower.” One of the castle towers rose far higher than the others, distinctly isolated.

“Ah, yeah.” Darling nodded, rummaging through the bag for another piece of shortbread. “That’s where Briar’s gonna be put to sleep, right? Or not. I don’t know her stance on the whole thing, actually.” She pushed a piece of shortbread into her mouth.

Apple expected to feel herself tense at the suggestion of Briar being a rebel, but to her surprise, she didn’t. “I don’t think she will? She seems sorta indecisive on the matter.” She explained, concern for Briar rearing in her chest. She’d have to have a long conversation with her BFFA about how she had a choice, and it wouldn’t be one Apple would ever take from her.

“Huh. Good for her.” Darling stayed upbeat, still gazing out at the castle. “I wonder if her and the others are up there by now. They’ve gotta go there for the whole rose quest, right?” A certain restless energy entered her, as she began to awkwardly fidget.

Apple pulled her mirrorphone from her coat pocket, and tapped through it, looking for Blondie’s mirrorcast. “Yeah, they are.” She confirmed, watching the replay of one of the livestreams. “They’re searching for the Rose of Fall at the moment.” She stared up at the castle, almost as if hoping to catch a glimpse of Briar, or Ashlynn, or any of them. Raven and the others were great company, not to mention this new thing with Darling, but she desperately missed her best friends ever after.

Darling hummed, making a scuff in the snow with her shoe. “I’d love to be up there with them. Not just to spend some more time with Rosa and Dare, but to also go on another adventure.” A bright grin spread across her face, and her eyes shone bright as two stars. “I’ve never traversed a snowy landscape before. I bet Herowing’d love it.”

Apple smiled, simply glad to see Darling so full of energy. It had always been sort of a rare thing to see the Charming princess with anything more than a reserved smile on her face. “After all the ruckus with the Evil Queen, I’m quite happy to sit out of this one.” She laughed nervously, trying not to think too much about anything that happened during her last escapade, lest she fall into yet another spiral of guilt.

“That’s fair.” Darling nodded. “I can’t help wanting to shoot off. I get all restless being in one place for too long.” She continued to fidget, pulling another bit of shortbread from the bag in some attempt to snack off the excess energy. Failing that, she let her gaze dart to one of the larger trees in the clearing. Humming, she paced over to it, and began to climb.

Apple hurried after her, immediately regretting wearing heels to this outing as she found herself making careful steps onto rather uneven branches. “Is this really necessary—?” She wallowed, reaching a beautifully manicured hand up to a branch, and struggling to hoist herself up.

Darling chuckled, reaching to grab Apple’s wrist and pull her up. The feeling of her lightly calloused hand closing around Apple’s own made the short princess’ face heat up despite the cold. “I wanted to see if we could get a better view of them from up here.” Darling explained, as she lifted Apple onto a large branch, on which the two could easily sit side-by-side. Through a gap in the snow-covered leaves, they could see the mountain tops.

Apple laughed lightly, giving Darling a gentle slap on the shoulder. “You’re never gonna be able to see them from here without binoculars, or something like that.” She rolled her eyes amusedly. “No matter how much you squint.” She gestured lightly at the way Darling had pressed her eyelids close together, almost closing them, trying to see their friends.

Blinking hastily, Darling then rubbed at her eyes with her sleeve, giggling like an idiot. “Ow. Too much squint.” She raised her arm from her face, revealing a cheery grin. “They better get this rose thing done soon - all this snow is a huge strain on my eyes.” Her voice was gloriously dry, showcasing a sort of sarcastic humour Apple rarely saw from her fellow princesses. It was considered unseemly to be so.

Regardless, Apple giggled too, giving Darling a light elbow, whilst being careful not to knock her out of the tree. “Such first world problems. We must get rid of the snow - not because it causes such harm to our poorest citizens, but because pri—“ She cut herself off for a quick moment, reconsidering her words briefly, before going on. “—Ser Knight’s eyes are being strained.”

Darling threw back her head and cackled, her laugh echoing through the forest, receiving some birdsong in response. She quickly went quiet, as the birds began to sing in response to one another, too. Apple softly, quietly, began to hum along, not really thinking about what she was doing. She’d never had to worry about her powers among other princesses before, so she saw no harm in singing along, voice gentle but growing ever stronger.

She hadn’t even gotten that loud before she felt a soft shift in weight, a rustle in the leaves, and opened an eye to see that Darling had fallen out of the tree.

The note she’d been on went shrill, as she hastily leant over the branch she was sitting on, looking down to the leafy forest floor, where Darling had landed with a soft thud. Except she was nowhere to be found. “Darling! Oh my Godmother, are you okay?!” She couldn’t help but near hysterics already, the snapping of such a tender moment throwing her head into chaos.

Darling poked her head out of a pile of leaves, perfectly fine. She’d plastered a big, almost silly looking grin on her face. “Y’know, Apple, you’d make such a good queen.” She, inexplicably, spouted, blue eyes sparkling with adoration. Apple’s song was only said to affect boys and animals. But the lovestruck haze in Darling’s eyes proved otherwise.

Flushing red, Apple shook her head disapprovingly. “Have you hit your head? That’s hardly relevant!” She almost squeaked, shoving her hand over her mouth once she finished speaking at how stupidly high her voice had gotten. She turned on the branch with some awkward shuffling, and moved one of her feet to try and step onto a branch below, wanting to get down and join Darling on the ground—

But the heels she was wearing didn’t give her enough leverage, and so she slipped on the icy branch, and fell.

Right into Darling’s waiting arms.

In a rushed couple of seconds, Apple had gone from trying to cautiously descend down the tree, to laying in Darling’s gentle but secure hold, being carried in the way they’d practiced in Damsel-In-Distressing. One of Darling’s arms held Apple’s back, while the other hooked under her knees. She truly was a hero, and Apple her damsel. In that moment, the fact that they were both girls didn’t even cross Apple’s mind. This was the hero of her destiny, she knew: the one of which she’d dreamt all her life.

Darling’s pink lips quirked into a small smile. Her blue eyes were now crystal clear, focused on Apple, making certain she was safe and sound. Without thinking, Apple lifted a pale hand, and gently grazed it down Darling’s cheek. “You know, Darling, you make an excellent knight.” She murmured.

Darling chuckled softly. “I should probably get you back to your dorm. Don’t want you having any more falls.” She winked, accompanying it with a mischievous grin, before she began making her way back through the forest, still carrying Apple in her arms.

“Hey, you fell first!”

——

Things were better. They weren’t perfect, but they were better.

Before the return of her BFFAs, Apple found her sweetest company in Raven, Cupid, Poppy and, of course, Darling. She felt a little odd spending so much of her time with Rebels, but given how her view on things had been adjusted, she supposed it made sense.

Briar, Ashlynn and Blondie’s oncoming return was a strange one. On one hand, Apple longed for the company of her three BFFAs; she missed Blondie’s scandalous gossip, Ashlynn’s serene smiles and Briar’s arm draped lazily across her shoulders. On the other, it was almost a dread - they’d surely notice how she’d gone from an anxious wreck, avoiding Darling like the plague, to going on full on dates with the charming knight. And that’d prompt questions Apple wasn’t quite sure how to answer.

But it’d work out, she knew. On quiet nights, when she’d sit in the gloom of Darling’s dorm, her new princess of destiny passed out exhausted on the bed beside her after a long day of training, she knew. For even in a world like Ever After, with its cruel way of forbidding all that was good, small joys like this that meant so much could slip though.

No matter how tight the anxiety in her chest was wound, Apple knew things would be alright. There would be a happy ending to her tale.