Darling Charming: Finally Extraordinary

2: Darling the Knight in Shining Diamonds

The front door slammed shut as the boys left. My good mood went with them.

I guess this would be a bad time to suggest to my dad that I attend Ever After High with my brothers. Although, it's possible I couldn't be in any more trouble... So hey, it's worth a shot.

"Dad," I started, trying hard to sound confident.

"What is it, Darling?" He asked, wiping his hands on the napkin undone in his lap.

"I was wondering... If you would allow it... If I could maybe... Attend Ever After High with Dexter and Daring?"

My dad folded his hands on his lap. Then he looked me seriously in the eye.

"Please?"

"Do you think a boarding school is the right place for a princess?"

The best reason I could come up with is that Daring's famed future wife Apple White, the fairest princess in all of the land, goes to Ever After High. "Apple White goes to that school."

My dad didn't know how to answer for a good half-second there. He opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off. I'll pay for that later.

"I think it will be a good experience for me. It will help me get back on track with my... Destiny..." I said, knowing he'd hate to be reminded that I was off-track in the first place. That comment was crucial though. He'd do anything to fix me.

"Next semester. We'll see how it goes from there."

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you so much dad!" I hugged him and then ran off to my room again. This was the happiest I'd been since... Maybe birth.

I scooped my MirrorPhone up from my bedside table. I began a new text to Rosabella Beauty, quite possibly my only friend. Rosieeeee, guess what!, I typed.

She typed back almost immediately. What?

MY DAD SAID I COULD GO TO EAH NEXT SEMESTER, I shared excitedly. What if Bella (Rosie and Bella are her nicknames) could come too? Going to boarding school with my best friend forever after was more than a dream.

NO WAY, YOU'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO GO THERE!

I KNOW! Do you think maybe it would be possible for you to come too?

Well, Briar does go to that school...

Briar Beauty, a very popular EAH student and the next Sleeping Beauty, is Rosabella's cousin. She's also Apple White's best friend.

Another text popped up almost immediately. I'll try my best. I hope we get to share a dorm, and join the charm team, and learn more about our destinies! The only way we can reject our stories is if we learn about them. It enables us to plan smart, strategic ways to reject them.

Bella and I are both not big fans of our destinies. We've been planning this, and can't wait to show that school what a real royal Princess looks like. Caring about your people and doing absolutely everything in your power for them- even if that means slaying a dragon. Although, slaying dragons is really not Bella's style- she also doesn't know I've actually slayed a dragon before. For a prince, this is an amazing honor, prestigious and admired. For princesses... Well, it's never been done before. Until me.

Yeah! Let me know! I couldn't wait. Now I just have to wait two weeks. The new EAH semester starts in the last week of February.

The little speaker on the wall of my room chimed, telling me it's time for my daily lessons. I stuffed my phone into a small silver purse and looped my arm though the handle. I love this purse because the design makes it look like armor and my parents haven't noticed.

I exited my room, wincing slightly when I realized no one had brought up my punishments for yesterday's events yet. I prayed they'd just forget, but I knew a "mistake" this big would not be ignored.

I met my mother, the queen, in our library to find out what my first lesson of the day was. Some of my lessons were more like chores, cooking and cleaning, organizing- things that the servants usually do, but my mom helped out with and wanted me to know anyway, since "a good princess must know what her subjects' daily lives are like."

"I was originally planning some free time for you this morning, but we really must discuss what happened yesterday. Then you will clean Daring and Dexter's rooms. They left them a mess before they left, and I think they'd prefer it if you straightened up in there since you know them better than the servants and I do," my mom directed.

"Okay," I sighed, looking down at the little bows on my sparkling flats under the round wooden work table.

"First, you must know that what you did was most definitely forbidden."

"I just thought, since the dragon was so close, and the boys would never make it there in time, it was the best way to save the people. Dad wasn't doing anything about it and I couldn't just stand there and let the dragon destroy lives, families, villages..." I still did not understand what was so wrong about what I did. I must've repeated what I'd just said in my head seventy times in the past twelve hours, and I still didn't see what was so bad about it. I was doing everything in my power possible for my people, while their King just stood there, waiting for his heroic sons to come, while his perfectly eligible daughter was prepared and willing.

"Look, Darling, honey. I understand that I've taught you that a princess must do everything in her power to do what's right for her subjects, and I see that you clearly took that to heart. But slaying a dragon is technically not in a princess's power. What you did was just a stroke of luck," my mom said, trying to convince me to see her side of things.

I wanted to tell her it wasn't luck, and that I could do it again if I had to, but I knew that was unacceptable. "I'm sorry, mother. What will my punishment be?"

"I talked to your father about it. I told him what I told you, and was able to compromise with him. He gave your sword to Daring. I'm sorry honey, I know you loved it and loved to play around with it, but we can't risk something like that happening again. Your father already talked to the villagers. They didn't see you, just the armor. Daring will be keeping your sword, I know he won't let anything bad happen to it. He knows how much it means to you. You won't be getting it back until after your destiny has been completely finished and you're queen."

"What?" I cried, my eyes beginning to feel watery, and my face becoming crimson and fiery.

"It's for the best, honey. I'm sorry."

I sighed and nodded, rising from my chair at the table and stomping off to my older brother's room.

My precious sword- with Daring? He doesn't care. Dex and Bella chipped in to buy me that sword for Christmas two years ago, when I was thirteen. It meant more than everything to me. My name was written into the handle in smooth diamonds, spelling out "DARLING CHARMING" in the sparkling, light catching gems. It was also made of diamonds, since they are one of the hardest minerals. It's indestructible, just like me. It must have cost a fortune, but neither my best friend nor my twin brother would tell me how much. I offered again and again to pay them back a portion since I had not spent nearly as much on their gifts, but they refused. They are the best people in my life, and they cared so much. I would not let their generosity go to waste, and I vowed to keep the blue-tinted diamond sword close to me at all times... And now it's gone...