Chapter Text
They had managed it, but just barely. The Evil Queen, her mother, now re-sealed in the mirror realm, where she can cause no more harm. The knot in Raven’s stomach finally begins to unwind, only to be replaced with a new one.
The damage from the havoc that her mother wrecked will be a long time undoing, both to the school and the Enchanted Forest.
From what Raven had heard, not many had been injured. Just a few sprained ankles and minor vine burn from those who escaped from Ever After High.
And Apple had been woken up, how? Raven herself did not know, but judging by how the Charming siblings had immediately gone off on their own, whispering in hushed and urgent tones, she knew it wasn’t anything like the story told.
But that’s a worry for another day, now all Raven can care to think about is what’s happening right in front of her.
She watches as Legend gathers all of her children, even the evil ones that fought alongside Raven’s mother, and ushers them all into the dragon barn, thankfully left unscathed in the carnage.
Raven watches as the dragon mother counts them all as they head inside, until all are safe in the barn, or so it seems.
Legend looks around, bright eyes nervous as she surveys the clearing.
“Who is she looking for? All her children are here.” Holly says, glancing around as well to see if they had missed any. Her, and Raven, along with Apple, Maddie, Faybelle and Hopper had stayed behind to ensure that the dragons were all okay, though Raven suspects that Holly is the only one still here solely for the dragons.
Maddie stays close to her side, and Apple hovers nearby like she doesn’t know if she’s allowed to get close. Maybe for the best.
Faybelle stays away from the group as well, even with her switching sides in the end, she still helped the Evil Queen for days, she most likely doesn’t want to face the harm she had caused. Raven herself doesn’t want to face the damage her mother had done. She feared the stares and whispers to start again, and just as people had started to like her.
And Hopper, he keeps glancing over towards the stadium where the Charmings had disappeared. He seems worried and on edge, but still human so Raven wasn’t too worried. She think him and Dexter are friends, but she’s also seen him quite a bit with Daring, though the two are an unlikely pair.
“I don’t know, but she seems worried.” Faybelle says. Legend lets out a few distressed sounding clicks and huffs.
Nevermore, who was small by Raven’s side, grows to Legend’s size and tries to speak to the worried mother dragon. She manages to calm her down, and they converse in dragon for a few minutes, but as Nevermore shakes her head Legend becomes agitated again. Legend continues to swing her head around. Huffing and sniffing around the clearing.
Nevermore looks back at Raven and repeats the gesture, but nods towards her as well. Raven figures that Nevermore doesn’t know where whoever Legend is looking for is, but Raven might. But unable to communicate they still don’t know. Raven relays such to the group and they all agree.
“We should go get Ashlynn, she’ll know what she’s saying.” Apple suggests, her voice small but still ever reliant and solution-oriented, “Her and Hunter went to go see the pixies, but they might be done by now.”
Hopper pipes up next. “I know where they meet up, so I can go find them.” He begins to move but at the sound of his voice Legend spins around to look at Hopper, her snout inches away from him. He disappears in a pink puff of smoke, and then he’s between the blades of grass in his frog form.
“Oh mother of dragons young-” Hopper begins, only to be cut off as Legend lets out a puff of smoke of her own. Sparks landing and sizzling on the wet grass around Hopper. “-he’s conversing with his siblings in the stands of the stadium of dragons.” He squeaks out, an odd sound from a frog.
She backs away and takes flight quickly. The girls are pushed back from the force, and Hopper is flung into the air, landing dramatically a few feet away.
“Where is she going?” Holly says what they’re all wondering out loud.
“Hopper, do you know who she’s looking for?” Maddie asks, Raven almost jumps at her voice, she’s been unusually quiet since the fight and Raven almost forgot that she was there.
“Yes I do, now if one of you lovely princesses would be so kind as to free me from this froggy form. I fancy not being trampled by dragons underfoot.” Hopper stands on his back legs and bows as he makes his request. Raven doesn’t move, unsure if she would be able to help. Neither does Apple, staring at her shuffling feet, so Holly picks him up and delivers a quick peck, and soon Hopper again stands among them.
“So, who is she looking for?” The question is out of Raven’s mouth as he’s dusting himself off. Hopper startles slightly before opening his mouth to respond, then closing it, and opening again.
“Well…” Hopper trails off.
“Don’t you not not know?” Maddie asks in a Maddie-fashion. Raven smiles slightly in relief at that.
“Yes I do! It’s just - it’s just hard to explain. You’ll see in a minute.” Hopper explains, well, doesn’t. It’s not long though until they can hear Legend land again in the clearing nearby.
“Okay, okay! I’m going! You don’t have to push - Hey! Watch the hair!” Everyone turns their heads towards the familiar voice. There Raven can see Prince Daring Charming being nudged along by Legend. At his protests she huffs and pushes him again. Judging by how his jacket is rumpled, Legend must have grabbed him by the collar and flew him over.
He seems not to notice those around them as he continues his conversation with the large dragon mother. “I’m not going in there, I have to go back to school.” By there does he mean the dragon barn?
Why would Legend want him to go in with the dragons? Raven wonders.
Legend huffs again and lets out a bit of fire through her nose, making some clicking noises in the back of her throat. She’s speaking dragon, and from what Raven can tell from when she watches Nevermore interact with the other dragons, she seems to be arguing. Other than that she can’t make out much, but Daring seems to understand what she’s saying, as he lets out a sigh and his shoulders relax once she finishes.
Then he does something that shocks them all. He starts to respond in dragon, making the clicking noises with his tongue and flashing light from his teeth instead of breathing fire.
Raven and the others watch in amazement. Daring Charming, destined dragon slayer, speaking dragon, though he gives up halfway through and switches back to the common tongue. “-I’m fine.” he stresses out the ‘I’ in fine. “Not a hair from my head. Go worry about the others, I have to head back to school.” Daring tries to placate her but it doesn’t work. Legend doesn’t move and his shoulders slump further than they already had.
“I’ll come visit as soon as I can, I promise.” And he does a complicated sequence of clicking noises and flashes a bright smile. Daring holds it as Legend seems to stare him down before letting out a rather human huff of defeat. She nudges him gently once more before turning and returning to the barn, using her tail to shut the large doors behind her.
Everyone is silent, watching as Daring fixes his hair. They’re all still reeling from the interaction they just witnessed as Darling and Dexter come from where Daring and Legend had a moment before.
Out of breath they light up once they see Daring. The lunge at him, almost knocking him over. They back off and Dexter keeps an arm on his shoulder, using it to steady himself as he catches his breath, his glasses nearly falling off his face and gold crown askew. Darling seems to be checking Daring over for injuries, scanning him before nodding, satisfied with her inspection, and stepping back.
“What… the. Hex!” Dexter says to his brother. Raven can see his eyes wide behind his glasses. Daring chuckles a bit before receiving a hard punch from his unamused sister.
“Dexter’s right, what the hex! She just picked you up and hauled you off, what. did. you do!” Darling’s more expressive then Raven’s ever seen her, even after her reveal as the White knight she had still kept up the ‘perfect princess’ appearance outside of her armor, adrenaline from the fight still keeping her running, and the high of the win letting down her walls for just a moment.
“I didn’t do anything! She just needed to grab me and make sure I’m alright, I’m important you know!” Daring laughs but doesn’t push off his siblings as they poke at him.
“Yeah, from what we were seeing, it seems like Legend was trying to get Daring to go into the barn along with all of her children.” Holly adds, and Raven agrees. That does seem to be what Legend was trying to do but why was she? She and Daring had been fighting against each other for years, their battles its own tab the “Daring Charming’s Feats” section of Blondie’s mirrorblog. Updating almost weekly.
Everyone turned to look at Daring, waiting for an answer from the prince, whose mood had turned somber before being covered up with an easy smile that Raven could tell didn’t quite meet his eyes.
“It’s a long story.” Daring tries to deflect, but Darling catches him.
“Well you can either tell us now or on the way back, because I need to know what in the ever after just happened.” Darling says to her brother her no nonsense tone stating that he has no other options.
“Alright, fine,” Daring gives in and pauses for a moment before starting, “A few years back I had lost a sword fighting competition… and I was then sent to help a small farming village that had a dragon problem. And when I went to deal with it I ended up meeting Legend, who I thought was the problem, but turns out it was a baby dragon whose mother had been caught in a trap and killed. Legend ended up bringing the poor kid up to the mountains with other dragons, before she herself decided to return to Ever After High. And in my first year we reconnected and she’s been a wonderful training partner ever since.” Daring explained simply and quickly. With none of the long-winded language of the usual accounts of his feats.
Actually, all energy seemed to leave him as he recounted the story, Raven could tell there was more to it that he wasn’t saying, including what him losing the competition had to do with him going to deal with the dragon, but she knew that it’s not her place. And as quickly as he arrived, Daring said his goodbyes and left. Hopper followed alongside as well, the frog prince jogging to catch up with him.
They all left soon after. The dragons all safe and away. Raven debated teleporting them all back, but decided she’d had enough of magic for one day.
As for what was up with Daring…
Maybe she’d ask Dexter or Darling about it later.