Chapter Text
So Much More (Than Meets The Eye)
“Can you imagine it?!” Chloe screeched to her best friend, Luis Madrigal, “Me! Married to that crazy, brainless woman!”
Luis watched his friend pacing the room, he was confused, but he wouldn’t dare talk back. Chloe was always the composed one, she was proper, her sharp tongue was always ready with a smart comeback. But, she wasn’t this girl in front of him, worried and completely furious with the world and her parents. “Chloe, please, just breathe for a second"
“No! This is crazy! I won’t play the little wife to her”
Luis shook his head, “I doubt your parents want you to pretend anything” he grabbed ahold of a hair brush, he moved it through Chloe’s hair with ease, trying not to ruin her natural blue curls, “Why won’t you give her a chance? She might surprise you”
“Monsters can’t surprise me, Luis,” she sneered.
He chuckled, “How would you know she’s a monster? You’ve never even met her”
Chloe rolled her eyes, “Only a monster would take a young princess for a bride”
Luis smiled, “Girl, you’re twenty-one, just out of university, you’re not exactly a child” he grabbed a bottle of perfume, getting some on her hair and neck. The sweet scent filled the room, it was Chloe’s favorite perfume, it smelled like lavender and vanilla. “Besides, do you really think your parents would’ve chosen her if she was an old witch”
The fragrance managed to calm some of Chloe’s nerves, she sighed in contempt, “Right now, I don’t understand anything that my parents are doing”
Luis massaged her shoulders, he let out a long sigh, watching the princess he grew up with, “Give them the benefit of the doubt?” he helped the princess stand up, he kneeled finishing up with Chloe’s long dress, “At least they were open minded with you, my family shunned me”
Chloe looked at him with a small sympathetic look, Luis was always so cheery and composed, no one would believe all the burdens he carried inside. “I thought your aunts and uncles took your side?”
He nodded, “They did at first, but you know my family, they are still controlled by that crazy old bitch”
Chloe chuckled slightly, “I can’t believe your great-grandmother is still alive”
He chuckled as well, “Me either” he stood up again with a smile, “But, once she dies I’ll be able to return, maybe I’ll take a boyfriend with me”
Chloe brushed off her dress, finally looking at herself in the mirror. The blue dress was impeccable, she looked beautiful, it was a shame she dressed herself up to meet the most reckless queen-to-be that Wonderland had ever seen. She turned to look at her friend, a small smile tugging at her lips, “I think you need to have a boyfriend first, you know, before thinking about taking him to your family”
Luis opened and closed his mouth with a small smile, “Alright, you win this time, Charming”
***
Red laughed loudly as she ran with her horse through the Tugley woods, her two siblings and best friend right behind her, “You’ll never catch me alive!”
Hazel and Pink shared a little look, rolling their eyes a little bit, “You’re being unreasonable, Red!” Pink screamed to her older sister.
Red didn’t answer, she just kept running farther and farther away. Hazel let out a long breath that she was holding, they had to capture Red before she escaped to the frontiers. Otherwise, the redhead would be a lot harder to find.
Maybe her siblings and best friend weren’t fast enough, but her mother was. She flicked a card with ease, dragging her back to the castle. Which was embarrassing, she was kicking and screaming like a toddler, “Ruby of Hearts!” her mother roared, Red trembled, her mother using her full legal name made her uneasy.
Her uncle shook his head as well, “This is not proper for a queen, Red”
Bridget looked at him, her hard stare making him shut up, “Don’t call her that, James!” she stared at her daughter, she was clearly mad, “She won’t be a queen, not until she stops behaving like a child”
The pirate shook his head again, he looked at Red with apprehension, “Look kid, we’re not doing this to harm you”
Just as he was finishing that sentence, Hazel, Pink, and Max appeared walking slowly to see what was going on. They entered the throne room to see a tied up Red, watched over by the Queen of Hearts and James Hook. Max and Pink rolled their eyes at their sister, but Hazel looked at her with sympathy.
The older pirate held his daughter closer, “Look at Hazel for example, she came here to do naval exchanges, and she fell in love with Primrose” both girls blushed, mostly Pink, she hated being called by her full name, “Now we are all a family! Why can’t you give Princess Charming a chance?”
Red opened her mouth, “Um, maybe because you guys tied me up!”
“Girl, you were running away” Max said, his arms crossed.
“Unaccurate” Red looked around, everyone was scowling at her, “I was just riding my horse”
Hazel rolled her eyes, “Look, Rue, even if you want to avoid this” she let out a long sigh, “This is happening, I’m taking you to Cinderellasburg in a couple of hours”
Red’s eyes softened, “Don’t call me that, Haze” she struggled, still wrapped tightly with her mother’s cards, “You know it makes me feel bad when you call me that”
Pink’s eyes shot up, “Just, stop being difficult”
Red looked at her sister in amusement, “I’ve never been difficult!”
James, Bridget, Max, Hazel, and Pink scoffed at the redhead, “Let’s make a quick list of all the havoc you caused last week” the queen said, “You let out all the hens, pigs, and cows because you said, ‘they deserve to be free’ even though we have a whole place for them”
“They told me they felt crowded” Red said matter of factly, Bridget just rolled her eyes.
Hazel stepped forward, “You hijacked all our wedding invitations yesterday, all in the name of ‘stopping the unnecessary chopping of trees’. Even though you knew the invitations were magical, made with Pink’s cards”
Red tried to say something but her brother interrupted her, “You dyed my hair green because you said I needed an urgent makeover!”
James and Bridget exchanged looks, “This has to stop, Ruby” Bridget showed her Ella’s invitation for Red to court the princess, “You’re going, this is final”
Bridget took her restraints, setting her daughter free, Red looked down at herself ready to dart away once again, “If you want to try to escape again, do so, but Hazel will sniff you out and once she does…” the pirate hesitated, “We will have to tie you up to the ship, just know those will be the consequences”
Red scoffed, “Haze would never do that to me”
Hazel raised an eyebrow, looking at her best friend, “Want to bet?”
Red grumbled something under her breath, she whined all the way to her room where she shut the door with force. Everybody heard the loud slam, they just sighed in relief, at least Hazel wouldn’t have to capture her.
***
Both girls paced their respective rooms. Red was trying to figure out how to run away into a distant land where no one would be able to find her. While Chloe just looked at herself in the mirror thinking about her conversation with Luis.
Chloe thought he had a good point, Ella and Charming loved her enough to understand that part of herself that she just came to understand. For a long while, the only one that knew her secret was Luis, the boy came to Cinderellasburg as an exchange student when he was very young. Cinderella and Charming cared for him and decided to pay for his studies together with Chloe in Auradon Prep, and then at College, they were basically tied to the hip.
Charming thought they had a romantic bond, however, their bond was more of the one of a brother and sister. He understood her on a deep level, and so did Chloe, she trusted him with her secret. Then one day her parents said that she needed to be wed, and their first option, of course, was Luis.
With no other way to escape she told them the truth, Luis was basically her brother, and she would rather spend the rest of her days together with a lady. Her parents were shocked at first, but they came around in record time, they loved their daughter dearly.
Then they decided to find her a suitable match, they looked for several weeks, and suddenly it came to Ella. Bridget’s daughter, Ruby of Hearts, was just a couple of years older than Chloe and she would be the queen of Wonderland one day. The match was strategic, but they believed that with time both princesses could learn to love each other. Bridget gave her approval, she would send the princess to Cinderellasburg, and that’s the day that Chloe believed her life had ended.
She had many plans for the future, she wanted to become a knight, she wanted to travel to different kingdoms to understand cultures and experience adventures, she wanted to learn more about the politics of her home before she wed. Her parents decided that she could still do all that, but she had to be wed. They explained everything neatly, she needed a partner with whom she could experience the world, someone to keep her safe. The princess refused, of course, but it had been decided and her parents wouldn’t back down.
A couple of gentle knocks were heard from her door, Luis’s eyes perked up as he watched Cinderella enter the room. He cleared his throat, leaving them alone, “Thank you dearest” she said to the boy, he nodded, going to get ready as well, “How are you holding up, my love?”
Chloe sighed, “How would you be holding up if you were marrying a stranger?”
Cinderella patted her head, brushing her hair with her fingers, “Come on now, your father and I arranged a small masquerade, that way you’ll get to know each other” she looked out the window, Bridget’s boat was making its way to the port, “Besides, the wedding is a week from now, surely you’ll make good of your time together”
Chloe stood up, her back firm, her head shot up looking at her mother, “What if we don’t fall in love, mother?”
Cinderella’s mouth opened and closed, she couldn’t come up with an answer. Instead she handed her daughter a dark blue mask, “The dance will start at eight, we’ll be waiting for you at seven-thirty to greet all the guests”
Chloe bit her tongue, “Sure, mother”
***
Hazel was finishing up with their presentation cards, “My love, do you want me to put you down as Princess Pink Primrose of Hearts or just as Pink?”
Pink chuckled, “I think you know the answer to that”
Hazel chuckled as well, kissing her bride-to-be, “Ugh!” Red exclaimed, she was tied up to the mast, “You two disgust me”
Hazel approached her friend, “What would you like me to put you down as?”
Red huffed, “Are you going to put my whole government name?”
Hazel smirked, “I don’t know, are you going to behave when we reach the port?” Red nodded eagerly, “Than I’ll just put you down as Princess Red of Hearts”
Pink chuckled behind her girlfriend, “Mom was so wild for that, Ruby Red of Hearts”
Red rolled her eyes, “It could be worse, I could be named Max Velvet of Hearts”
“You promised you would never say my government name!” Max screeched from the other side of the boat. Her siblings were already in their gowns for the night, even Hazel was dressed accordingly.
“Could you free me? I need to change into my suit”
Hazel handed her a red and black mask, “The Charmings are having a masquerade tonight, please look presentable” Red stood up, stretching, she had been tied up the whole way, “And Red” she looked at her best friend, “No leather tonight”
Red smirked, “Whatever, captain”
The boat docked, three siblings and one pirate emerged from the boat. There, waiting for them, a black car was parked. A man stared at them, he had a piece of paper that said, ‘Princesses and Prince of Hearts’. Hazel waved at him, “That’s us”
He looked her up and down, “Are you coming as well?”
She smirked, “I’m the princess’s fiancee, thank you very much”
He turned to look at Pink who shrugged, “I like bad girls”
He chuckled lightly, getting into the driver’s seat, “Alright, next stop, the castle”
The whole way Red was looking outside the window, her siblings looked at her with sympathy. Pink was allowed to marry for love, Max would probably be given that same opportunity, but since she was the oldest she needed to have a strategic match. She was the first in line to the throne, and her mother expected her to act accordingly, and now she had to marry some stuck up princess.
When they arrived at the castle a man introduced himself as the queen’s butler, he guided them to their rooms, and told them to wait to be called for the ball. They all waited, Pink and Hazel were eager to have their first ball as an engaged couple, Max was hoping to meet new people, but Red was just waiting for her demise.
It didn’t take long, the same butler came to get them. Hazel handed him the presentation cards, he read them, smiling at the young royals in front of him, “This way, your majesties”
He announced them as soon as they stepped into the ball, though he was only able to introduce Pink, Hazel, and Max. When he called for Red, she had already disappeared into the crowd, looking for something to drink. Hazel sighed, but Pink gave her a reassuring squeeze, they walked towards King Charming and Queen Cinderella.
They bowed, “It is a pleasure to meet you, King Charming” Pink bowed again, and then towards Cinderella, “And Queen Cinderella”
Cinderella waved her off, “No need for formalities, Princess Primrose” Pink grimaced when the queen used her name, which didn’t go unnoticed by the royal, “Would you prefer me to call you Pink instead?”
“Very much so, your highness”
Cinderella chuckled, “Very well” she looked at the crowd, princess Red was nowhere to be found, “I guess your sister ran away”
They chuckled nervously, “Not at all, your majesty, she must’ve gotten herself a drink” Hazel answered.
Cinderella eyed her, “You’re James’s daughter, right?”
Hazel nodded, “I am also Pink’s fiancee"
Charming smiled, “Well, kudos to you girls”
He turned to look at Luis, who was looking at Max with a curious expression on his face, “Have you met my pupil, Luis?” The brunette’s eyes lit up when Charming called him his pupil. He stepped forward with a big smile, “Why won’t you accompany the girls, and the young prince”
Luis nodded, “Of course,” he took Max’s arm into his, “This way” he guided them around the ball room under the watchful and amused gaze of the Charmings’.
“Well, we found a match for our adopted son,” he said with a small giggle. Cinderella rolled her eyes, but agreed.
***
Red huffed as she watched people dance, she was just taking a sip of her champagne when someone spoke to her, “The champagne is supposed to be only for the adults”
She chuckled softly, “Do I look like a kid to you?”
The other woman smiled tightly, “I guess not” she took the glass from the stranger, “But, it is still off limits right now”
Red looked at her, the woman’s face was covered by a lacy dark blue mask, she could barely make out her facial features. The only thing that stood out were her eyes, beautiful dark brown eyes staring at her own, “Well, are you the police?”
Chloe watched the stranger in front of her, she was wearing a dark red suit, with some ruby touches and golden details. Her eyes landed on a small silver crest on her suit’s pocket, she touched it without thinking, “Your crest” she traced her fingers over the symbol, making the redhead blush, “I’ve never seen something like this before”
Red let out a little breath that she didn’t know she was holding, “I-um… made it myself”
Chloe looked up at her eyes again, “Amazing…” she smiled, a relaxed smile, “What did you say your name was?”
Under the pretense of still hiding her true identity, and having some time to be herself without her title, she lied, “Ruby” well, not entirely, but it was a good thing that most people knew her as Princess Red of Hearts. She stretched her hand for the woman, “What about you?”
Chloe thought for a moment, this was one of the most natural interactions she’d had in months. Wanting to keep the conversation going, without the stranger knowing her real place in the castle, she lied as well, “I’m Blue”
Red looked at her up and down, “Serves you right!” she giggled, she took the woman’s hand placing a kiss on her knuckles. She looked at her again, “So, what do people do for fun around here?”
Chloe looked around, her parents seemed to be distracted, they were watching Luis dance with a man in a purple and black suit. She made a mental note to ask him about that guy later, “Inside the ballroom, nothing, unless you like to dance”
Red scoffed, “I’m a great dancer, but I usually don’t dance with the first woman I meet”
Chloe smiled, “Is that so?” she looked at the redhead, she felt like doing something adventurous before she was shackled to the monster. The monster that she hadn’t met all evening.
She grabbed Red’s hand, leading her elsewhere, “Where are you taking me?”
“Somewhere more quiet, maybe if we get to know each other, you’ll dance with me” Chloe ran away, with Red holding her hand tightly.
Pink turned her head just in time to see her sister running away with a woman dressed in blue, “She’s… running away with a woman”
Hazel chuckled, “Well, was the woman pretty?”
“She was wearing a blue dress”
Hazel stopped dancing for a moment, “Pink… you do realize who are the only people in this whole party that are wearing blue”
Pink looked at the monarchs, and then she turned to look at her fiancee, “Oh!” she squeaked out with a smile, “This is about to get good”
Hazel twirled her around, laughing lightly, “I really like seeing my mischief rubbing off on you”
Pink kissed her softly, “I didn’t choose you as my wife just because you’re pretty, darling”
***
Red and Chloe moved around the castle, talking and asking each other questions, “You’re interesting, Blue” she thought for a moment, “I’ve never met someone whose goal is to visit all kingdoms before thirty”
Chloe climbed outside a window, Red held her hand as she reached for the roof of the castle, “Do you like traveling?”
“I’ve never traveled at all, but can I tell you a secret?” Chloe climbed onto the roof, which was impressive given that she was wearing heels and a long dress. Red jumped onto the roof, following the crazy but cute lady she had just met.
“Sure,” she walked around slowly, looking for a clearing to dance with the redhead, “Does the secret have something to do with your visit to Cinderellasburg?”
“This is my first voyage out of home, thank you for noticing” she hesitated, “But, no, that’s not my secret”
That piqued Chloe’s interest, she grabbed the redhead’s hand again, it was becoming a habit for the pair. “What is your secret? I promise I won’t tell”
Red rubbed the back of her neck with her free hand, “I actually wanted to be a knight,” she looked at the stars, “I guess I never thought about traveling, but in my kingdom, I loved to spar”
Chloe opened her eyes wide, “Me too! I actually love fencing, and I wanted to be a trained knight”
Red nudged her with her shoulder, “Hey! We do have things in common, would you look at that”
Chloe pulled her forward, “That means you owe me a dance”
Red smirked, grabbing Chloe’s waist and pulling her closer, “Well, we do know each other a little bit better now” she winked, even though it was hard to see because of her mask.
They swayed slowly to the music, Red’s heart pounded loudly on her chest. The blue-haired princess noticed, but she decided against saying something to the redhead in front of her. Instead, she settled in looking at her eyes, they were chestnut brown, just a little bit lighter than her own eyes. Chloe moved one of her arms away from Red’s neck, touching her red mask slowly, “I like your mask” she hesitated, “But, I would like to see you without it”
Red shook her head with a smile, wanting to keep the fantasy going for a little while, “Let’s just dance for now,” she caressed the princess’s mask as well, “I want to finish making a picture of your face in my head”
Chloe blushed, though Red didn’t see it, “Well, what if when I take it off you don’t like what you see?”
Red leaned in closer, “I doubt it” her lips brushed against the blue-haired princess’s lips, “You’re way too cool for me to care what you look like”
Chloe blushed once again, leaning in completely and melting into Red’s kiss. They stayed there for a while, hearing each other’s heartbeats and slow breathing. The kiss was slow, tender, and for a moment it made both girls forget they were about to get married with monsters that they imagined.
Charming stepped outside the castle, looking for his daughter, “CHLOE!” he screamed into the night. The sound made the blue-haired girl break the kiss abruptly, to the confusion of her companion.
She stumbled back, almost falling if it weren’t for Red, “I have to go” she said, her breathing getting faster.
Red looked at her in confusion, “But why? He’s calling out for a Chloe”
The princess nodded slowly, “Right” she hesitated, “But, we’ve been here for a while and my family might be wondering where I am”
Red grabbed her hand, “Wait, wait, how will I find you?”
Chloe wanted to say something, but Charming screamed again, and then another voice rang out. Max was calling for Red as well, this made the redhead princess stiffen up, Chloe raised an eyebrow, “What’s wrong?” she touched the other girl’s face again, “You froze for a moment”
“Um…” Red stumbled on her words, “I just realized that my family might be looking for me too” she grabbed the blue-haired girl’s hand again, “Maybe we should go back”
They climbed down, both feeling the weight of the world on their shoulders. They’d finally made a connection with someone, but that didn’t matter, because they had to marry a complete stranger a week from now. Chloe took one last look at Red before kissing her, for the last time, “See you around, Ruby”
Red sighed, “See you, Blue”
They left to meet their families, and possibly their future spouses, unbeknown to them, they were about to meet each other again. Red reunited with Hazel, Pink, Max, and a hunky guy who seemed to be clinging to every word Max said to him. “Who’s the hunk?”
Max turned around to look at his sister, “Where were you?! I couldn’t find you anywhere”
“I-I just”
Charming, Cinderella, and Chloe stood up in front of everyone. Red looked at them in confusion, why was Blue with the Charming family? “We would like to introduce our daughter, Chloe Charming, to our Wonderland visitors”
Red’s eyes went wide, which Hazel and Pink found hilarious, but Max didn’t understand. Hazel and Pink nudged Red forward, “This is Red of Hearts, my sister, and the future queen of Wonderland”
Chloe’s expression matched Red’s as they realized who they were. Charming clapped his hands, “Wonderful!” he looked at both girls, “Ladies, please, take off your masks”
Red and Chloe took off their masks with shaky hands, finally seeing each other’s faces. The monsters they were imagining, they realized, were actually part of their imagination. Chloe thought that Red’s face was beautiful, she was not the ugly witch she pictured. Red, for her part, never thought that the annoying, prissy, controlling princess she had to marry, would be the most beautiful girl she had ever laid her eyes on.
They eyed each other for a while, a tense atmosphere filling the air. Charming charged forward, holding his daughter’s hand, “Chloe, manners”
Chloe coughed, “Right” she extended her hand, “Greetings, princess Red”
Red cleared her throat, bowing, taking the princess’s hand and kissing it, “This has been an amazing evening, princess Chloe”
Charming smiled, “Well, now that you girls met” he gestured for the band to play another song, “Please, the floor is yours”
Red reached instinctively for Chloe’s waist, pulling her towards the dance floor. They moved around for a while, avoiding eye contact, then Red leaned in to whisper something in Chloe’s ear, “You lied to me”
Chloe’s eyes hardened, “You lied first!” she whispered-yelled, “You told me your name was Ruby”
Red rolled her eyes, “My name IS Ruby, Ruby Red of Hearts” she sighed deeply, “Please just call me Red”
Chloe snickered, “Is that your full government name?”
“Well now you know two of my secrets” Red huffed out.
Chloe’s eyes softened, “My name is Chloe Charming, I’m sorry I lied about that”
Red shrugged, “It’s alright, in hindsight I should’ve known that Blue isn’t a real name”
They laughed lightly. Chloe’s parents and Red’s siblings watched the interaction with matching expressions of amusement, maybe bringing the girls together wasn’t such a bad idea.