Work Text:
“…ugh, Red!” Chloe tilted her head back, feeling the plush lips of her girlfriend as they gently kissed the underside of her neck. Gripping the rough bark of a tree, Red’s hand balanced on her hips, thumbing her side through the thin fabric of her dress. “Stop teasing me.”
Chloe felt Red’s lips curl in humor. “You’re easy to tease, Princess.”
“Stop it.” Chloe grappled for Red’s hair, twirling her fingers into the dark magenta strands. “We’re gonna be late.”
“But I want to kiss you,” Red left her neck, placing a loving peck on her pale glossy lips instead. “You’re beautiful. They can wait a little longer.”
Making out with her girlfriend in the middle of the woods hadn’t been on Chloe’s schedule for the day, but she didn’t particularly mind. They’d been up extra early, making the trip from Cinderellasburg to Auroria to finish wedding preparations. In the distance, elegant music wafted from Aurora’s castle. Guests were no doubt settling in for the ceremony by now, and the two maid-of-honor’s were busy snogging against a tree.
“No.” Chloe pushed Red away, grabbing her cheeks and holding her there. “We gotta go or Audrey will actually kill us for being late.”
“Ugh, you’re such a goody goody,” Red complained, though she still smiled as she let Chloe up, snaking an arm around her waist. “Mhm. You look good in my makeup.”
“Red.” Pulling a handkerchief from her pocket to swipe pink-tinted lipstick from her neck and cheeks, Red laughed as they hurried back towards the festivities. It was a beautiful day in the Kingdom of Roses. The sky was blue, the birds were chirping, and there wasn’t a cloud to be seen anywhere. The gardens had been freshly trimmed unlike the forest which they now stumbled out of, hoisting their dresses to keep from stepping on them. Ducking through the freshly pruned hedges to avoid being caught, they had almost made it back inside when a body stepped in front of them, blocking their way.
The pale blue skirt was enough of a give away.
“M-mother!” Chloe stood straight, trying not to look quite so guilty. Red just leaned on her shoulder, giving Cinderella a lopsided smile.
“Girls?” the woman drawled, glancing between them. “We’ve been looking all over for you.”
“Just stepped away for a breather, your majesty,” Red insisted, causing Chloe to faintly elbow her chest as she grunted. “Ow, Chlo.”
“Mhmm. The bride is waiting upstairs, she wishes to speak with the two of you before the ceremony.”
“To us?” Chloe frowned as her mother took the handkerchief from her hand, stepping forward to wipe lipstick from her face. “Mom, please.”
“We agreed to this dating thing, but only when you’re in sight. That rule has not changed,” the Queen ordered, though a smile tugged at her lips as she glanced between them. “No more sneaking off. At least until after the ceremony.”
“Yes, ma’m.”
“Yes, your majesty.”
Both girls slumped at being called out, though mother seemed far more amused than upset. Coming out as girlfriends had been nerve wracking, but in the end, there wasn’t really much to worry about. Queen Bridget and Queen Ella hardly seemed surprised by the news.
“You’ve known one another for so long, I’m more surprised it took you this long to tell us,” the Red Queen said with a tricky grin. “We’re quite happy for you.”
“Yes indeed,” Queen Ella agreed, clinking teacups with her friend. “But no eloping. This relationship stays visible at all times.”
That rule had already been broken, hence her mother’s currently furrowed eyebrow. Finishing wiping down Chloe’s face, Queen Ella smiled.
“There, good as new. And it better stay that way.” The Queen glanced at Red, who just raised her hands in surrender.
“My bad, your majesty.”
“Yes, well, were sure to be starting soon. Now go upstairs, Audrey is waiting. And don’t dawdle, she said it was rather important.”
Receiving a queenly hand wave, Chloe took Red’s arm, dragging her down the path with an embarrassed huff of air. Her cheeks felt unusually hot as her wonderlandian companion laughed, swinging her against the nearest wall the minute they were out of sight.
“Don’t be mad, Chloe.”
“That was so embarrassing,” Chloe chided, smacking Red’s shoulder with a hand. “No more. I’m upset now.”
“You can’t be too upset though,” her companion crooned, pulling her closer with a hand and fondling a piece of loose blue hair. “Right?”
Chloe puffed out her cheeks in frustration, but melted under her girlfriend’s intent stare. She was looking extra beautiful today in glittering gold eyeshadow, her dark magenta hair pulled up into something exquisite. She liked the color; it reminded her of crushed raspberries. But Chloe always felt it wasn’t quite right.
“You should dye your hair red,” she murmured, tugging at a strand. “You know, to match your name?”
“Nah, mom would take it as a form of rebellion and pout at me for a million years,” Red complained, reaching down to grab Chloe’s hand and intertwining their fingers. “Maybe you should dye your hair pink to match me?”
“No, my mom would also have a heart attack.”
“Wait till we get our matching tattoos.” Red grinned, her face shining with mischief as Chloe laughed, taking a wide step back.
“Come on, we need to go.”
Still hand in hand as they ran through the long marble hallways, Chloe guided Red around a corner. Two stewards waited outside the bride’s suite, making sure no one entered who wasn’t supposed to (aka Chad, who’d been trying to get a sneak peek all morning long). Approaching, the sentinels wordlessly opened the doors, granting them entry. The room was massive and splendid, bathed in golden light from the afternoon. Audrey was seemingly alone for the moment, pacing before an array of mirrors. She looked…nervous…more nervous than she should’ve been. In her hands was a flat box tied with a white ribbon.
The bride glanced up at their entry, her brown eyes losing some of their trepidation as she sighed. The wedding dress Evie made fit her perfectly, brunette curls piled and kept in place with diamonds and gold pins in the shape of songbirds. However, the blue necklace she always wore was still ever present, simple, a perfect pop of color against all the white and pale pink.
“Red, Chloe,” she greeted with a smile, walking to a side table where she quickly shut a pink book sitting on the surface. “I was wondering where you two ended up.”
“Just getting some air,” Red fibbed, placing both hands on her hips. “You clean up nice, Audrey.”
Chloe gave Red another firm elbow to her side, stealing the air from her lungs. “With tact,” she hissed, grinning as Audrey chuckled. “You make a beautiful bride, Audrey. Chad’s ecstatic.”
“I’m very excited. But a bit nervous too.” Audrey placed a hand on her waist, exhaling sharply. “My heart is beating so fast right now.”
“It’ll be a perfect ceremony,” Red assured her, tilting her head. “Queen Ella said you wanted to see us?”
“Yes. I have a gift for you both.” Holding up the box still in her hands, Audrey set it down on the nearby table, pulling off the ribbon. “Come, I want you to wear these today.”
In the box were a pair of simple gold pendants. They were two pieces of a single whole, pressed with the pattern of a clock face. One side had a ruby gemstone pressed into it, the other, a sapphire.
“Pretty,” Chloe whispered. “What do they mean?”
“Time can be a fickle thing; it has a tendency to tear things apart.” Audrey picked up the pendant with the blue stone, gently clipping it around Chloe’s neck. “These are a reminder for you both. No matter what happens after today, you need to stay together.” Audrey took the second pendant, passing it to Red who put it on herself. “You’re stronger as a pair. Don’t ever forget it, even when it seems like all is lost.”
“Look Red, we match,” Chloe held up her pendant; her girlfriend did the same, matching the jagged edge to create the whole. There was a strange tickle of familiarity in the back of Chloe’s mind, seeing the watch face in its entirety. But she couldn’t pin down what that thing was. It was just a picture, after all. There wasn’t anything special about it.
“Keep these pendants close. I trust you both to do incredible things in the future.” Audrey smiled, though there was something off in her expression. She still looked worried, maybe even a bit troubled, though Chloe wasn’t sure if that was due to the wedding, or something else sitting on her mind. “Now, with that out of the way, you two best be getting downstairs. My father and I will be coming down momentarily.”
“Thank you, Audrey.”
“Yeah, this is awesome.”
The elder nodded, remaining where she was as they turned to exit. Curious, Chloe turned back just as they reached the door. Audrey had her book open again, using a pen to scratch something out on the page before gathering it in her arms and whisking herself through a side door. Puzzled, Chloe jumped as Red touched her arm.
“Hey, you good?”
“Yeah. Just wondering what Audrey was writing.”
“It’s probably a day planner or something,” Red shrugged. “Audrey’s got a lot going on, maybe she’s keeping a list?”
“Maybe.” Reaching up to grab her new pendant, Chloe ran her fingers across the grooves of the clock face. She’d known Audrey almost as long as Red. The girl used to babysit for her all the time when she was growing up; Red too. They’d scare her to death by sneaking up from behind and taking her by surprise. Chloe was sad when mom said she couldn’t come by anymore when she and Chad left for their gap year before college, but the memories were fond. Still, she didn’t remember Audrey ever giving her anything before.
“Hey, earth to Charming?”
Chloe blinked as Red snapped her fingers in front of her nose. “What?”
“What’s got your mind wandering all of a sudden? Are you sure you’re ok?”
“Yeah. I just…do you ever feel like you’re forgetting something important?”
Red shrugged. “Sometimes, but it’s usually cause I left my phone somewhere again.” When Chloe didn’t laugh, her girlfriend pouted. “Oh, you’re serious.”
“Kinda. It just feels like I’m supposed to be remembering something, I just don’t really know what.”
“Whatever it is, I’m sure it’ll come to you eventually. Come on, we better hurry up or we’ll really be late.”
Huffing a bit in annoyance at her confused feelings, Chloe allowed Red to take her hand as they ran downstairs together. The ceremony went off without a hitch, as was expected. Everyone attended, including the King and Queen of Auradon. Nothing went awry, not even Audrey’s veil which billowed in lacy splendor on the summer breeze. She really was a beautiful bride, and Chloe had never seen her brother grin wider than when he took her hands. They made a lovely couple, and throughout the ceremony, Chloe caught Red’s eye where they stood on either side of the altar with flowers. Rings and vows were exchanged, as was a very dramatic kiss that was followed by cheers and clapping.
Throughout the entire ceremony, Chloe still had an unusual nagging feeling that something was wrong. She waited for it to happen; maybe the cake would fall or the power would go off. But nothing ever came of it. Audrey and Chad had their first dance, their cake, speeches and champagne (besides Queen Bridget, who drank wine). All in all, it was a picture perfect day. Holding her new pendant in one hand, Chloe slipped off after the music turned into a mosh pit, wandering the halls for a bit of time to herself. Escaping into a side room for a breather, she paused at the sight of a very familiar book sitting amongst a pile of discarded casual clothing. It was pink and bound in leather, pressed with cold cursive labeled ‘DIARY’.
Audrey’s journal…the very same she’d been scribbling in earlier.
Approaching the artifact curiously, Chloe knew it was wrong to snoop through someone else’s things. But she wondered if whatever was on Audrey’s mind was written in here. Glancing over her shoulder to make sure no one would walk in, Chloe carefully opened the journal.
It started exactly as she expected; neat paragraphs of girly script, occasionally accompanied by little doodles or scraps of mementos. Skipping these pages (she didn’t need to snoop that deeply), Chloe paused next on a drawing. It was a beautiful self-portrait made in colored pencils, except Audrey had rich magenta hair and wore a crown. This was from the ‘scepter incident’. Knowing that part of Audrey’s life was painful to remember, Chloe skipped that part too, finding herself in the most recent pages.
She expected more elegant paragraphs, bullets, or highlighted dates and times. She expected to find wedding plans, or lines of Audrey practicing her vows. Instead, the pages were covered top to bottom, front to back, in manic, hard handed scrawl. Just looking at the wild, untethered thoughts made Chloe uncomfortable.
‘TIME’, ‘MAGIC’, ‘CONSEQUENCES’ were all written heavier than the rest of the words. Arrows flew between black boxes of ink, more writing hidden underneath. Flipping to the very last page, Chloe froze. A sketch of their pendants had been maid in one corner, accompanied by no less than a dozen arrows and a big, almost desperate looking note: DON’T FORGET! Below that, a line of words had been scratched out–the same line Chloe had watched Audrey mark earlier:
“Give Chloe and Red pendants. DO NOT FORGET!”
“…my memory isn’t as good as it used to be.”
Chloe jumped, pivoting around to find Audrey looking at her from the doorway.
“Audrey! I-I’m so sorry, I was just…um…”
“You know better than to go through other people’s things, Chloe,” the woman frowned, stepping closer and scrunching her face.
“I was just worried about you,” Chloe admitted, falling her eyes in shame. “You seemed bothered earlier.”
“I have a lot going on right now, but it’s not really any of your concern.” Audrey used a bent finger to gently lift Chloe’s chin. “Don’t worry about it.”
“But this…what is all this?”
“Research for something I’ve been working on,” Audrey answered without missing a beat. “It’s nothing to be scared of.”
“You made these pendants?” Chloe asked as Audrey shut the journal, picking it up. “That’s amazing.”
“I had a bit of magical help,” the woman laughed, though she sounded preturbed. “Chloe, I need you to promise me something.”
“Of course. Anything.”
“Watch out for Red. I know she can be…impulsive, sometimes. It’s a good quality, but it can also lead to trouble.”
Chloe nodded her understanding. Red would sooner dive into a river with crocodiles than read the sign that said ‘NO SWIMMING’. “Promise me you’ll look out for her? You’ve got a sturdy head on your shoulders.”
“I will.”
“Good.” Audrey caressed Chloe’s cheek with a hand, sighing deeply. She looked so tired all of a sudden, like the weight of the world was resting on her shoulders. “I need to lay down for a bit. Getting married is exhausting.”
“Ok. I’m sorry about the diary,” Chloe frowned, glancing at the book. The pages unnerved her, though she didn’t know why.
“You’re just trying to help. Now go on; Red’s eating enough cake for the both of you.”
Feeling Audrey give her a gentle nudge forward, Chloe turned and gave the woman a hug, causing her to stiffen. Audrey still wasn’t much of a hugger.
“Thanks for everything,” Chloe mumbled, inhaling the scent of the older girls perfume. “I’m happy you’re my sister-in-law.”
“Me too, Chloe,” Audrey mumbled, patting her head with a flat hand. “Now go, before Red eats whatever’s left.”
Chuckling at the idea, Chloe made her exit. But, just like before, she paused just outside the open door, peeking inside. Audrey was still for a moment, lost in thought. She shook it off a second later, a knowing look on her face as she set the journal down on the floor.
“…thanks, old friend…” she mumbled, snapping her fingers. In a dazzle of bright magenta sparks the book caught fire, turning to nothing more than a pile of ashes. Chloe blinked in astonishment as Audrey collapsed to the ground. She fondled the soot with a weak cry, lifting her head to reveal a bloody nose and glistening tears.
Not wanting to get caught spying, Chloe hurried down the hall, throwing herself around the corner and into an alcove. Her own head flared painfully as she leaned against the wall, that odd feeling of forgetting tugging at the back of her mind again. Why was it there? Was it really that important?
What was it that she’d forgotten anyway?