Chapter Text
Briar Beauty proposed to Cerise Hood on their six-year anniversary. And it wasn’t because she had finally found the perfect wedding dress, nor the perfect accessory to propose with. It’s simply a coincidence that she bought her dress a month before asking her, and that the custom charm bracelet she proposed with was finished the week prior.
Either way, Cerise is just happy that she’s with Briar. Wedding or no, she’s hers. This is really just an excuse for Briar to throw a big party, and for Cerise to show off her cool wife-to-be in turn.
With all of Briar’s experience, it should be easy to organize an event of this size, grab their friends and family, and get to celebrating. Normally, it would have been simple, if they didn’t have to plan it out months in advance, if it wasn’t a massive event, if everyone wasn’t busy. Even Cerise was busy, much to her surprise. Something about weddings meaning both halves of the couple have to have sets of guests and attendees. Which is how Cerise faces the mortifying ordeal of picking who should be her bridesmaids, and who she knows well enough to invite, period.
Cerise glowers at her rough draft of her guest list, counting and recounting the names she put down. She had compared hers to the list Briar had made, making sure there was no overlap between them, which lowered the number of people she could invite a surprising amount. It’s amazing how many people they have in common, but considering they went to the same, relatively small school… Cerise’s list is short. Her family, obviously, and the few of her friends that Briar hadn’t already snagged. It was sad, if she thought about it. So she didn’t, and instead gave all of them plus ones.
Except for Sparrow Hood, her cousin. She planned to give them a plus one, but Briar denied it. She didn’t question the choice, and she doesn’t doubt that anyone Sparrow brings could possibly be a problem anyway, so it wasn’t much of a loss.
And then, after a last cross reference and a few minutes of deliberation, she adds Faybelle Thorn to her list. She put it away with a nod, and a slight huff, waiting. What for, she wasn’t sure. It’s not like Briar would take her off the list– yeah, she was Briar’s ex, but that’s never stopped her from inviting her to parties. And despite everything, and their own protests, they’re still important to each other. It would be wrong for Faybelle to not be there, if anything.
Briar nails down the invitation design about two weeks later, and the basic message two days after that. She doesn’t comment on any of the inclusions on Cerise’s list, nor does she tell her what to write beyond the basic opener and the RSVP information. Meaning, Cerise gets to write whatever she pleases to whomever she pleases. From her sister, right down to Faybelle.
Maybe she gets a little satisfaction out of the more spiteful messages, little things that would have definitely made Briar frown a little if she had checked over more of them. Her message to Faybelle was probably too petty, but it was her wedding invitation, and if she was the one inviting her, she got to make the rules.
So she sent the invites without any remorse and watched the RSVPs roll in, almost all of them saying yes. The most worrying, for Cerise, is that Raven, Maddie, and Cedar all responded with a resounding yes.
It’s hexcellent that her best friends forever after are all free to go to the wedding, of course, but she and Briar had agreed on only two bridesmaids. This leaves her in the unfortunate position of picking which of her three best friends to leave out, and the choice is too obvious for comfort.
It is always surprisingly hard to give Madeline Hatter bad news. It’s like vi knows where you’re coming from, and exactly what you’re going to say before you say it. Cerise is barely done greeting Maddie when-
“If this is about being a bridesmaid, I’ll have to decline. I’m babysitting Aspen for Hunter and Ashlynn, and I can’t do both at the same time.” Maddie smiles, cheerily.
Cerise blinks, “Oh, um. Okay! I hope you have a good night with her. How’s she doing, anyway?”
“She’s the sweetest little teacup I’ve ever seen!”
“That’s good, I should really go see her sometime. You’re still going to the wedding, right? You’ll just have to watch her and spend some time away when things get too loud or she’s unhappy, yeah?”
Maddie swallows, a crack in the perfect porcelain of her expression. It clears up quickly as vi puts her hands on Cerise’s elbows. “I wouldn’t miss the wedding for the world, I just can’t be on bridesmaid duty.”
“Alright.” Cerise relaxes a little bit. “How's your dad?”
Maddie brightened and rambled as if vi had never been hurt.
–
Briar frowns down at yet another list of things she needed to do. This time, it was catering, carefully planning out the menu so the reception was everything she wants it to be. It is much more difficult, of course, when you need a waitstaff and chefs, and your friend can’t just bring a cake because they’re your friend, everyone needs to be paid.
The food needs to fit the theme, and everything has to get planned out by a certain time, or they’re pushing the wedding back at least a couple of months. And she would really rather not have to wait an additional year for her summer wedding.
At least they have the venue and date picked out, with flexibility for changes to the forecast, but an entire year would make the flexibility she planned for absolutely worthless. So, she just works her ass off to get her wedding set for this summer. Which means she needs to get this menu down now so she can get Cerise to taste cakes soon.
She flicks through the pages Apple organized for her, and sighs. The planning part was fun when they had to sneak out of dorms and dodge stupid rules. Now it feels a bit too much like thronework, and she swore off thronework the second she stepped out of Ever After High. But party planning isn’t all picking out colors and throwing up decorations, she just has to sort through this before she gets to let loose with the fun stuff.
She’s trying to decide on a third dinner option when Ramona Badwolf comes to visit. She was invited, of course– she’s Cerise’s sister! And to everyone who doesn’t know about Cerise’s half-wolf heritage, she’s still a major part of Cerise’s story– so Briar has no possible clue why she’d come over with an issue in her invite. She doesn’t really hear why, only hearing bits and pieces about plus ones before feeling Ramona’s gaze bare into her from across the room. She fell silent and growled something at Cerise, before turning around and leaving their home.
Cerise just huffs, plopping onto the couch next to Briar and slumping against her.
“What was that about, dogwood?”
“Apparently having a plus one isn’t good enough for her, she wants to invite someone else as well.”
Briar blinks, looking at her fianceé. “Isn’t she dating Justine Dancer?”
“Yeah, they’ve been dating for, like, five years.”
“Why does she need to invite someone other than Justine?”
“That’s what I tried to ask! But she looked over at you and dropped it.”
“Huh. That’s odd… Oh, wait, she’s friends with Faybelle, right?”
“I guess? I dunno, I’ve never paid that much attention to her friends.”
“Well, maybe she wants Faybelle to come, but doesn’t want to ask us to invite her and doesn’t want to spend her only guest invite on her.”
“Huh. Maybe Faybelle just hasn’t gotten her invite, yet, then?”
“Maybe! I’ll call the post office about it later. Or you can just call Ramona and tell her that Faybelle is already invited.”
“I’ll call her. Need some help here?” Briar turns and kisses the top of Cerise’s head.
“I think I’m almost done. Have you thought about cake flavors, yet?” Cerise groans.
“I was trying to figure out who to invite, I totally forgot about the cake.”
“That’s something we don’t have to get done now. How about you go call Ramona, I’ll finish up here, and then we’ll grab dinner?”
“Sounds good.” She presses a kiss to Briar’s cheek before prying herself off the couch, beginning the search for her phone to make the call.
–
“Since when do you call me?”
Cerise huffs, “Wow, two seconds into the conversation and you’ve already dropped the niceties.”
“Whatever. Why’d you call? Did I leave something at your place?”
“Nah. Briar wanted me to let you know Faybelle has already been invited.”
“Uh… cool?”
“That’s why you came over, right? To get permission to bring your friend?”
Ramona goes silent on the other end of the phone, before laughing quietly. “Got me. Hey, thanks for letting me know. Writers’ knows Faybelle wouldn’t have.”
“‘S no big deal. Just didn’t want you to stress about it.”
“Speaking of stress, the fianceé still busy?”
“I think she’s wrapping up now. How’s Justine? I didn’t get to ask earlier.”
“She’s good.” Ramona’s voice is muffled for a moment, before coming back loud and clear. “She’s been busy with showcase preparations. She sends her congrats, by the way.”
“Yeah, I know. She hexted me.”
“I guess that’s why you weren’t surprised when I showed up?”
“Yeah. I would’ve thought you’d just ask about Faybelle’s invite over hext or something instead of coming all the way over and having your girlfriend warn me about the visit.”
“I was in the mood to huff and puff about it, okay? Be happy I didn’t scratch up your furniture.”
“Who are you, Kitty? Neither of us have fucked with furniture since we were pups.”
“Again, I wanted to start something.”
“Get that out of your system before the wedding.”
“Will do, mutt.”
"Furball."
“Runt–”
“Hey!” Cerise looks away from her phone, over to Briar. “You two play nice. I can’t have you getting upset and making a scene at the party after all this planning.”
“Sorry, petal.”
“Ohh,” Ramona’s teasing voice floats through the phone. “Petal.”
“Shut up.”
“Whatever. I’ll just save it for my toast to the married couple.”
“You think you can embarrass me at my own wedding? Jokes on you, everything is gonna be sappy, it’ll just fit right in!”
“Maybe stuff about you calling her petal, but you forget I’ve known you your whole life. And I have access to your baby pictures.”
“Don’t you dare–” Before Cerise could finish her threat, the line died. “Briar, did she actually just hang up on me?”
“Don’t kill your sister.”
“Why not?”
“We can’t do cake testings from prison.”
“I guess not, no…” Cerise slips her mirrorphone into her pocket, and goes over to wrap her arms around Briar. “Dinner?”
“Gladly.”
–
With the boring things taken care of, Briar decides to treat herself to the thing she was most looking forward to, in terms of the planning process. Namely: dress shopping for their bridesmaids!
Apple and Ashlynn are both very busy women, but they gladly take time out of their schedules to be Briar’s bridesmaids. Even if the shopping appointment being mid-day means Ashlynn can’t find a babysitter for Aspen, and the little princess is brought along.
Briar coos at the squirming baby in Ashlynn’s arms, catching a tiny hand in hers with a giggle.
“Bibi!”
“Hey there, Aspen.”
The little princess flaps her arms around, making all sorts of noises.
“Uh huh.” Briar smiles up at Ashlynn. “How are you?”
“I’m good. Tired, but good.”
“That’s good.” The two of them turn, watching an approaching Apple adjust her glasses with a smile. “She’s crawling now, right?”
“Mhm. Her and Pesky have taken to scampering around together. How are you, Apple?”
“Good. I’m sorry my schedule is such a mess, I would have loved to spend more than an afternoon on this.”
“If we don’t find it today, we’ll schedule something. We have time.” Briar wraps her arm around Apple’s shoulders, and kisses her on the cheek. “I am so hexcited! I’m getting married!”
Ashlynn and Apple both give little cheers out of courtesy, and Aspen does her best to mimic them. Briar takes the moment to grin wildly at her friends before ushering them into the dress shop. People surround them instantly, each of them a celebrity in their own right.
“Highnesses! Welcome!”
“Thanks for having us, Randy.” Briar and Randy air-kiss each others cheeks. “Thank you for setting this up on such short notice.”
“For you, dears? You could have asked me to clear out all week.” Apple laughs a little nervously, eyeing the attendants around them.
“I hope we aren’t interrupting something important. I’m sure we won’t need this many people.”
“It’s a special occasion!” Even with that defense, Randy claps his hands, and a portion of the crowd breaks away and seems to go back to work. “Let’s get started.”
And they did, with Briar being escorted around the showroom while Apple and Ashlynn caught up. She looked at all sorts of dresses, all in red since she and Cerise decided their bridesmaids should have each other’s normal color pallets. Red suits Apple and Ashlynn way better than magenta does, and Briar is incapable of imagining Raven wearing red. Magenta, though, is way up Raven and Cedar’s alley, while being too dark of a color for Apple’s tastes.
They start pulling dresses off the racks, some bringing them to dressing rooms, some people darting around with fabric swatches and fabric patterns. Ashlynn and Apple endured all of the questions and try-ons without complaint, and Aspen simply watched all of the fun colors and movements with glee.
Briar returned with some dress selections, informed by the questions and things the attendants asked Ashlynn and Apple. They tried on all sorts of red dresses, comparing and contrasting how the different design elements bring out or diminish each of their features in the search of the perfect dress.
Until, finally, Apple and Ashlynn are presented to Briar wearing matching red infinity dresses. Briar just gasps, and they know they’ve got their pick.
–
Cerise’s dress shopping went quite differently. She didn’t shop for a dress for herself, instead cashing in a favor from Lizzie to get a custom one and matching hood. She only went shopping for dresses for Raven and Cedar, and even that went astonishingly quick.
The more revealing options are quickly vetoed, the presence of Aspen, and the nearly guaranteed appearance of Sparrow meaning Cerise won’t allow it.
“This one doesn’t come in the right color.” Raven swishes the skirt with a frown.
“Okay, how about this one?” Cedar pulls a dress off the rack. “It has the sleeves you liked.”
“Yeah, but it’s too hot for a summer wedding.” Cerise hums, flipping through the dress book in front of her.
“Go try this one on, Cedar. Tell us if the fabric works for you.” Cedar takes the dress carefully from Raven’s hands, and ducks into the dressing room. “Anything catch your eye in there?”
“None of these really suit you guys. Like look at this one.” Cerise holds the book up, and Rae scoffs. “Right? It’s awful.”
“I like the skirt on this one, though, with the ruffles? That’s kind of cute.”
“I like the ruffles!” Cedar calls from behind the dressing room door. “But I’m worried I’ll look too nice in anything that pretty.”
Raven sighs, knowing exactly why Cedar is worried. “Why’d you have to invite Sparrow, anyway?”
“They’re my cousin, Rae. My mom would kill me if I didn’t. Just be glad I got her to let me have them as a normal guest rather than be in the wedding party.”
“Still,” Raven sends a quick glance at the closed door before lowering her voice. “It’s just a bit much, isn’t it? I don’t think either of them are over their break-up–”
“I can still hear you, Raven!” Cedar gives an exaggerated sigh, making sure they can both hear it. “I’m over it. I don’t know about them, since I haven’t seen them in years, but I am.”
“Are you sure, Cede? It’s just… You were so upset about it for so long.”
“Yes, well, I had to break up with someone I loved for reasons out of my control. And they were my first love. How could I not be upset about that? But all that’s in the past, I swear.”
“If you say so,” Cerise rolls her eyes, knowing that the answer she gave would be entirely different if she still had her truth curse. “Are you in the dress yet?”
“Yes!” Cedar unnecessarily clears her throat before stepping out of the dressing room. Raven whistles.
“That one was a good choice. You look great.” Cerise closes the book. “How’s it feel?”
“Soft. I like it.” Cedar does a little twirl, and smiles. “Does this one come in magenta?”
“Yep! Should I try that version on, or are we moving on?” Raven gestures towards the rack.
“I think you both should try it on in magenta,” Cerise nods to herself.
“You got it, boss.” Cerise rolls her eyes at Raven as she grabs the dress in her size and retreats into one of the other dressing rooms. Cedar stays behind, half-twirling and humming as the fabric twists and flows, until she realizes she’s supposed to try on the magenta version and she follows Raven’s lead.
Cerise kicks her feet, waiting as they emerge from the dressing rooms. When they do though, the decision is basically made for all of them. The dress is stunning, and both of them are comfortable with it the instant they walk out. There’s no other options to explore. Even if it’s pushing how pretty Cedar thinks she should be in front of her ex– whatever she means by that.
Raven buys her own dress, as bridesmaids are supposed to, but after seeing the price she quickly offered to pay for Cedar’s. She’s the only one of the three who doesn’t have access to the money offered by royalty now, and Raven is painfully aware of it after being the only royalty in the group for so long. Cedar hesitated but nodded, looking towards the shop’s doors as Raven bought her dress.
–
Cerise’s favorite part of planning came soon enough: cake tasting.
They went to some fancy bakery Cerise has never heard of, but that didn’t really matter. All of Briar’s pre-selected options were laid in front of them, dyed red or pink so they can taste what the finished wedding cake would be like rather than the un-dyed flavor, and all prepared without any contact with chocolate.
Cerise sets aside a plate, and slides over another, watching Briar scribble her complaints on a slip of paper. “What was wrong with that one?”
“Too sweet.”
“That’s a weird one. Taste that.”
“Cranberry. Sour. Yeah, that’s definitely a no…”
“I like strawberry, but it seems a bit plain.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well,” Cerise’s eyes fall to the faux silver fork in her hand. “You’re the extravagant Briar Beauty. Why would you settle for something plain like strawberry?”
Briar hums, her gaze narrowing. “I think you aren’t just talking about cake flavors.”
She shrugs, “You’ve dated a lot of princesses and fairy folk, and you’re marrying a commoner. I just don’t want you to settle for something when you’re you and you can have literally anything you want.”
“Cerise.”
“Yeah?”
“Look at me.”
Cerise swallows, hesitating before dragging her gaze up to Briar’s serious face.
“I know exactly what I want. And I want you. And I want at least one layer to be strawberry.”
She half smiles, though it looks more like a smirk on her. “Good to know.”
Briar smiles back, writing down strawberry’s approval. “Any other flavors up for consideration?”
“Eh, not really. We still have a lot of flavors to test.” Briar glares at the plates surrounding them, before sighing.
“At least it won’t be boring.” Cerise passes another plate to Briar.
“Nothing either of us does is boring, petal.”
“Fair. Oh, this one’s really good!”
“What is it?”
“Coconut. It tastes like summer, you know?”
“Oh, that’s perfect." Cerise glances at the rest of the plates. “Do you want to keep tasting? Or did we find the best cake flavors?”
“I mean, we definitely found the flavors, but there’s still all this cake…”
Cerise slides over more of the plates with a smile, taking a bite of another piece of cake with a pleased hum. The Badwolf-Hood family never let food go to waste, and Cerise doesn’t plan on changing that now that she’s going to be a Beauty-Hood.
–
They decided to go with the strawberry and dyed coconut cake, ordering two layers of coconut with the strawberry sandwiched between. The frosting would depict a beautiful forest scene in black against blood-red skies.
With the cake decided, the venue set, the dress code adhered to, and the guest list invited, Briar finally gets to relax as she waits for the actual wedding.
When the day of the ceremony arrives, the brides wake up earlier than they ever would on their own. Not by their own intention, of course– they were woken up by their sets of bridesmaids and quickly pulled away from each other, despite the number of eye rolls they give Apple’s insistence that they not see each other until the ceremony. They went along with it since Ashlynn sided with Apple, pointing out that Apple didn’t let her see Hunter before her ceremony to him, so this is essentially her payback. Cedar and Raven simply went along to lightly annoy Cerise.
Briar spends the morning with her friends, relaxing and getting ready for the ceremony. Apple had allowed her to check over everything exactly once before she made her sit and allowed herself to be pampered in preparation for the wedding. She might be the best party planner in Ever After, but that doesn’t mean she has to take over the planning duties for her own wedding on the day of. Apple would have made her get a planner leading up to the day, but she wouldn’t deprive her best friend like that.
About thirty minutes until the ceremony, Briar is zipped into her dress and is told to wait. She huffs like her soon-to-be father-in-law and leans back in her chair, looking over at Ashlynn. “Who does Apple think she is? First she keeps me from seeing Cerise, and now she wants me to wait? Briar fucking Beauty doesn’t wait for anything!”
Ashlynn laughs, looking more nervous than Briar does, her gaze continuously shifting toward the door. “And yet, here you are, waiting. And she’s your maid of honor, that comes with a bit of influence over you on your big day.”
“Ash?”
“Mhm?”
“What’s wrong? If Maddie saw you now, she’d tell you to stop the worry flurry.”
She laughs again, her nervousness seeping right in. “Aspen.”
“I’m sure Aspen’s doing alright. Maddie wouldn’t let anything happen to her.”
“Oh, I know. I trust Maddie so much but…” She hesitates, her hands folded in front of her and her gaze drawn to her candy-red shoes. “Briar, you know how you can be protective over your little brothers?”
“Yeah, duh.”
“Multiply that by everything there is in the universe. She’s my child. My first, and this is the first time I’ve been away from her for more than a few hours.” She lets out the start of another letter, but cuts herself off and presses her lips closed. She takes a deep breath before talking again. “I’m fine, I promise.”
“Oh, Ash.” Briar sighs, pulling herself up from the chair Apple sat her in and pulling Ashlynn into a hug. “You’ll be able to see her during the ceremony, promise.”
“Yes, from across the audience, and–” she presses her lips together again.
Briar pulls away just enough to look Ashlynn in the eye. Her lovely green eyes are filled with a mix of emotions, her expression the same but framed by her recently cut short hair. “You don’t need to pretend you’re happy for me.”
“I’m not pretending. I’m so, so happy for you, Briar.”
“I know. I don’t doubt that. But I haven’t seen you this nervous since you broke up with Hunter before True Heart’s Day. I’m sorry my day has been keeping you from her for so long.”
“Briar, I wouldn’t have accepted being your bridesmaid if I wasn’t willing to be away from her for a while for you.”
“Well, yes, but you’re so selfless, Ash! I love you more than anything, but you are such an Ella. I’m sure you would have accepted being my bridesmaid if the entire world was crumbling around you. Maybe I should have asked Crystal to be my bridesmaid instead, then you wouldn’t feel so conflicted…” Briar trails off, watching Ashlynn’s expression go from mixed to hurt. “I– shit– I shouldn’t have said that. You know I didn’t mean it like that.”
Ashlynn screws her eyes shut, quickly and literally shaking the emotion off her face. “I know, I know. It’s fine.”
“Ash…”
Ashlynn opens her mouth, no doubt to let out another “I’m fine,” only to be cut off by the door opening. Apple steps in, happiness bright on her face. “Everyone’s ready for us!”
“Thank you, Apple. Are you ready to go, Briar?”
Briar looks between two of her closest friends, feeling her worst emotion bubbling in her chest: uncertainty. “Of course. I’m always ready.”
–
Cerise finishes pinning her hood in place, yanking at it. “Yup, that’s staying put, no matter how much I dance.”
Cedar hums, adjusting one of the flowers on Cerise’s hood. “Why are you still keeping the secret, anyways? It’s been years since the book was destroyed, and Milton Grimm died last year. It’s not like anything will happen.”
“It’s not just my secret, y’know? It’s Ramona’s, and dad’s, and mom’s.”
Cedar nods, about to reply when there’s a knock on the door.
“Can you get that, Rae?”
Raven nods, finishing on the flowers she was setting into Cedar’s hair before hurrying off to the door. She and Cedar have matching hairstyles, down to the flowers gathered where their hair is pulled away from their faces.
“Hey, Ramona.” Raven steps to the side and lets Cerise’s sister into the room. Cedar waves.
“What’s up?”
“Can I talk to Cerise? Alone?”
Cedar nods, moving towards the door, and ducking out with Raven. Cerise raises her eyebrow, and motions for Ramona to sit down. Raven looks over, getting a glare that makes her shut the door behind her.
“So,” Raven looks at Cedar, “What should we do?”
“Oh, I don’t know…” She messes with her fingers, admiring her joints and pretending that her gaze doesn’t dart toward the ceremony area.
“You’re a terrible liar. You want to see you-know-who, don’t you?”
“Sorry.”
Raven groans, “Fine, we’ll go over there. But only so I can check on Maddie.”
“Understood!”
The two of them head towards where the guests are waiting, Raven immediately beelining to Maddie. Cedar takes a more nonchalant approach, pretending not to be glancing around at the guests.
“Maddie! How’s it going?” Raven goes in for a hug, stopping short at the tiny hands reaching out at her. “ Child."
“Aspen! Ashlynn’s lil’ ragamuffin. Isn’t she the cutest thing since Earl Grey?” Maddie looks at Raven with a painted-on smile fit for a Cheshire, juxtaposed against sad eyes.
“Mads, what’s going on?”
“I’m babysitting.”
“During the wedding?”
“Mhm…” Maddie swallows to cover up a sniffle, continuing to smile as Aspen reaches up to mess with vir multicolored curls. “Aspen is a very sweet little girl, but…” She shakes vir head, pushing all of the negative emotion out of her face. “But she misses her mom.”
“Mads, why are you babysitting?”
“Because Ashlynn was chosen to be a bridesmaid, and I couldn’t be a bridesmaid because I’m not responsible enough.”
Raven’s eyes widen. “What!? Who said that?”
“Oh, would you look at the time!” A bird flies out of one of Maddie’s watches. “Tea time! I have to go feed Aspen. Apparently, little muffins can’t have tea until they’re older.” She makes a high-pitched trill before fluttering off, as if nothing happened.
“Where’s Maddie going?” Cedar taps Raven on the shoulder, and stares at their retreating friend.
“Tea time. Did you see you-know-who?”
“Yes. I ran away before they could react.” Her face is warm with a blush, a sad smile plain on her face.
Raven closes her eyes and shakes her head. “You two broke up.”
“Yes. Because we were going to separate colleges and they’re not the type who can handle long distance. But we’re both back in Ever After–”
“How do you know they haven’t moved? Or moved on? You know they’re a flirt.”
“They don’t have anyone they could be dating sitting next to them.”
“So Cerise must have spared them a plus one so they don’t bring some random person to her wedding!”
“Raven!” Cedar’s voice comes out a squeak, her heartache and nerves evident. “Raven, I know you don’t like them. I know very well that no one likes them, much less me dating them. I won’t talk to them, fine?”
“I…” Raven sets her mouth in a frown. “You know I can’t leave you upset like this. I’m not saying you can’t talk to them, just…” She thinks before reaching over, putting her hands on Cedar’s elbows. “You’re Cedar Wood. The kindest, sweetest, most honest girl in Ever After. If they want you, then you should make sure you aren’t settling, no matter how much you like them. You can’t just be another girl they flirt with.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that you have hindsight. You know how to push their buttons, and I bet you can use whatever knowledge you got when dating them to play hard to get. Make them work for something for once in their life, especially since they’d be working for you.”
Cedar stares at her for a moment, before nodding thoughtfully. “It sounds like it could be fun..." She nods again to herself. “I can definitely try. Who knows how that’s going to go?”
Raven shrugs. She hopes that it’ll go terribly, not knowing Sparrow as someone especially dedicated to anything but themself, and not thinking they have the ability to care enough to put in the effort required from this. But who knows with Sparrow? “Who knows? Do you have anything in mind?”
She hums with a nod, sending another glance toward them. They’re wearing their hair differently nowadays, a bit of a nice swoop keeping the otherwise messy hair out of their face. They seem to be wearing a suit jacket over some sort of trashy dress, but it’s hard to see the details from over here. And besides, Raven can’t bring herself to care enough about them to keep looking.
“Come on, the ceremony is about to start. We need to get Cerise.”
“Do I look alright?”
“You look like a million crowns. And besides, it doesn’t matter how you look. Sparrow will probably go after you no matter what.”
Despite the grossed-out tone Raven injects into that last sentence, it boosts Cedar’s confidence and reinforces a smile. She gives Raven a confident nod and starts back towards the dressing room, ready to get this show on the road.
–
Briar stands, and accepts the offered flowers from Apple. Ashlynn is smoothing out her dress by the door, before she opens the door.
“Let’s go.” Briar nods, already hearing her musical cue starting up in the other room.
Apple and Ashlynn lead the way, Apple first and then Ashlynn, like an afterthought. Briar follows behind them, unveiled and using a practiced walk that best shows off her dress. One of the pros of knowing exactly what makes her look good.
The crowd of their friends and family stand and watch as the trio approaches the altar. They settle into their positions, Briar striking a casually beautiful pose as the music changes ever so slightly to a darker rendition of the wedding march. Perfect for Cerise’s trip down the aisle.
–
Raven led, followed by Cedar, and finally Cerise. Cerise would probably feel nervous, but she doesn’t. No doubt because her hood blocks out the audience members in her peripheral vision. She knows they’re there, but all she can see is the back of her bridesmaids’ heads and her waiting fianceé.
Briar looks radiant, smiling softly at her as she approaches. Cerise is careful not to lose her footing as she steps next to her. The soft lights and flowers that adorn the altar make this moment feel more ethereal than it probably is, shining in Briar’s eyes like stars.
She doesn’t see anyone else as she takes Briar’s hands. She doesn’t need to. She doesn’t want to. Why should she look at anyone else, when the most gorgeous person in all of Ever After is standing right in front of her, reciting the typical lines needed to join them in marriage.
The ceremony isn’t long. It’s just there as a means to get them to their happily ever after, and more importantly, the party. But the words are said and the rings are exchanged, until finally being topped off with a kiss and shower of applause.
Cerise presses their foreheads together and smiles at her wife. “You ready?”
“For the rest of our lives? Hex yeah!” Briar beams at her, before kissing Cerise again, and pulling away. “Let’s get this party started!”
