Start of Part Two
Cupid was lost. She thought she came to Ever After High for a reason: to help others find true love. But people here didn't seem to value true love. You either had a romantic destiny or you didn't, and you had to be with the person written into your destiny. That couldn't be right. People should follow their true hearts. Whether that meant following your destiny, or rebelling. Raven followed her true heart to protect Apple when she signed, not because she actually wanted to be the evil queen. But would Briar be following her True Heart when she slept for one hundred years? Cupid couldn't believe she really wanted that.
So Cupid decided to propose the idea of a True Heart's Day dance to Headmaster Grimm. She figured he would say yes, since it would encourage Raven that she did the right thing and others might find their true loves. After all, according to Dexter, he didn't even see the face of his fairy tale princess. Maybe that means it could be anybody...
But that wasn't important right now. She couldn't focus on herself and her love life when there were others to worry about. And she certainly had to worry, because Headmaster Grimm said no!
"I don't understand," Cupid said.
"Let me put it like this," the headmaster said, clearing his throat. "That holiday is dangerous. Some students might see it as a sign to break from their destinies. We wouldn't want that, would we?" He raised one bushy eyebrow.
"Why would it even matter?" Cupid asked, probably pushing the subject, but she couldn't let it go. "Everyone has already signed. They have to follow their destinies now. True Heart's Day will only make them want to find their true loves! The ones in their stories!" She didn't know if she believed what she was saying, but she had to convince the headmaster.
Headmaster Grimm glared at her, which made her shift uncomfortably in her seat.
"Let me make one thing clear." He stood from his seat, leveling her with a gaze so fierce she stopped breathing out of fear. "You are not to say a word of this to anyone. True Heart's Day is a holiday that should stay forgotten. You simply have to trust me on this."
Cupid gulped, but nodded. She wouldn't say a word.
Feeling discouraged, she gathered up the big book and shuffled out of the headmaster's office. She had to consult Briar on this, but first she would stop by her dorm to ask Blondie some advice. How could she encourage others to follow their true heart's when she couldn't even follow hers? Dexter had told her he knew he wasn't meant to be with Raven. He had seen it in the Storybook of Legends. That meant he was free, and Cupid would be glad to swoop in. But she wanted Blondie's advice before she confessed to him. Her new roommate had become one of her "best friends forever after," as they liked to say here, and she liked to talk to her about everything. Plus, she worked closely with Dexter for her mirrorcast show, which meant she could probably give some insight as to what Dexter thought was romantic. Her stomach fluttered just thinking about seeing him.
"Cupid!" Someone yelled out. She turned around to see Cedar Wood and Darling Charming running up to her.
"Hey!" Cupid said. She kicked her toe against the ground to stop herself from walking away. It was rude to not say hi when someone wanted your attention. And Cedar and Darling had seemed interested in her at the Legacy Day dance. "Sorry, I can't stay to chat right now, but maybe we can get coffee at Hocus Latte later? Blondie reviewed it last week on her mirrorcast, and she said it's really good!"
"This is really important," Darling said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"I'm kind of busy today," Cupid said, glancing towards the stairway that would take her up to the student dorms. She couldn't skip talking to Blondie, even if she was in a rush to tell Dexter how she felt. "What's this about?"
"It's Blondie!" Cedar exclaimed. Her voice was a little nasally since her nose wasn't able to grow out yet.
"What?" Cupid said, her eyes going wide. "Is Blondie in trouble?"
"No, no," Darling said, correcting Cedar. "But we desperately need to talk."
...
Holly rubbed her arm nervously as she sat in the waiting room outside of the headmaster's office. She was there to ask him once again about her sister, Poppy. She had just set up her hair salon in BookEnd after finishing Beauty School, but Holly desperately wanted her to come to Ever After High. The other royals were nice, sure, but she could tell they thought she was kind of weird. Well, except Blondie, who gladly opened any lock she asked her to without asking any questions. Then again, Blondie was a little weird herself.
If Poppy were here with her, she would be a lot happier. But Poppy didn't have a destiny, and Ever After High was for students with destinies. It would be different if she came from a family like the Charming's, who filled in unnamed roles like Apple's prince. Or if she was the younger sibling of a more important fairy tale, like Briar's little brothers, who would also probably fill in roles. But Holly had already asked if Poppy could fill in a role, and Headmaster Grimm said he would have to wait until Legacy Day, when the book would reveal which unfilled roles went to who. Holly's only hope was that there was one unfilled page that Poppy could take, giving her a place at Ever After High. She could be a damsel in distress, or maybe even a romantic interest! Holly thought Poppy might like that.
The door to Headmaster Grimm's office opened, and C.A. Cupid came storming out. Like Holly, she was new at Ever After High. Unfortunately, she wasn't a royal, so Holly hadn't really gotten to know her very well. She was Blondie's roommate, though, so maybe she would in the future. Wanting to be polite, she raised her hand in a little wave, but Cupid didn't seem to notice her. Her gaze was fixated ahead of her, and she looked rather sad. Holly's hand crept back into her lap as she watched the other girl walk away gloomily.
"Miss O'Hair?" Headmaster Grimm said, snapping her attention back to the door. He was waiting for her to come in, so she smoothed down her skirt and stood.
"I'm here to discuss my sister, Poppy," she said as she walked through the door and took a seat.
"Why am I not surprised by that," headmaster Grimm said, taking the seat across from her.
"I was wondering if there were any pages left open that Poppy could fill in for?" Holly asked. "Perhaps as a damsel in distress? Or a love interest for a royal? Speaking of which, I don't think I saw my prince charming's face in the book! Is it supposed to be a surprise? That's kind of romantic!"
Headmaster Grimm cleared his throat. "Yes, it is supposed to be a surprise. But rest assured, I know exactly who your prince charming is. You certainly have one, yes. And he signed too." He trailed off for a moment, and Holly leaned forward expectedly.
"And?" she asked.
"As for your sister," he continued, a little flustered. "I am sorry to tell you that all the story roles have been filled. There were no pages left blank. Every student accepted into the school has their story accounted for, just as I predicted. Your sister does not have a destiny."
Holly gulped down a cry. It had been the answer she expected, but that didn't mean it was fairest. Even if she didn't have a destiny, why couldn't Poppy come to Ever After High with her?
"Shouldn't we check just to be sure?" Holly said. She lifted herself out of the chair and stood in front of the Storybook of Legends, which was protected inside of a locked glass case. Only the headmaster had the key, but surely he would open it for her. "You might have missed something. It never hurts to double check. I could even help you! I won't look at my prince's page, of course. I don't want the surprise to be spoiled!"
"NO," headmaster Grimm said firmly. When she stared at him in shock, he said it more softly: "no. I'm afraid I haven't missed anything, miss O'Hair. And I believe this is all for the best. Your sister is an excellent hair stylist. She'll be able to help you fulfill your destiny, which is an extremely important one."
"I understand," Holly said as the headmaster ushered her out. But before the door closed, she eyed the storybook of legends. If the headmaster wouldn't open it for her, she had to find some other way. She knew he was hiding something from her. Maybe it was some role he didn't want Poppy to fill, but Holly knew she could do anything. Luckily, she had a friend who would open any lock for her, no questions asked.
...
"Can I interrupt for a second?" Maddie asked. She was with Kitty, snooping as she always did. The two of them disguised their conversation with the narrator by facing each other, so it looked like they were having a conversation. It wasn't perfect, but it was a way to stop drawing strange looks.
Let's see, what else? It was a sunny day in Ever After, but the two of them stayed inside, lurking outside the headmaster's office, hoping to overhear more of the story--
"She's clearly ignoring us," Kitty said. Maddie pouted.
"Is that true, Brooke? Are you ignoring us?"
I'm not ignoring you, but I also don't want you to get in the way of the story.
"Ah, so we're a burden to you," Kitty said, FALSELY, might I add.
"You switched to first person," Kitty continued. "You're getting sloppy."
Maybe I wouldn't be sloppy if the two of you would let me do my job.
"Can I just ask one question?" Maddie asked. "Then we'll leave you alone for the rest of the day."
"I make no such promises," Kitty said.
Fine. What is it?
"So, Darling and Cedar are teaming up to get Blondie to open the Storybook of Legends, right?" Maddie said. "And Holly also wants Blondie to open it. So can Kitty and I just tell them to work together? That way they'll all be working towards the same goal, and there won't be so many plotlines!"
I'm afraid I can't let you do that. You're not supposed to interfere with the story, remember?
"But won't they just eventually come together anyway? It would just be hurrying it along."
Rushing a story is never any good. You have to let it develop naturally.
"How boring!" Kitty exclaimed. "You know what I think makes a good story? When you force things to happen. For example, when I started the food fight in the Castleteria. That was an amazing story!"
That was pretty cool. But you were a vital character in that story. You have your own plotlines, separate from Holly, Cedar, and Darling. Why don't you do your own thing for a while?
"But then we would risk not hearing you narrate!" Maddie said. "We can't do that."
You can do whatever you want! But I have to get back to my job now, thank you.
...
"Checkmate!" Apple said, and Raven groaned. Her roommate had won for the third time in a row. No matter how hard she tried, she could never beat Apple at chess.
"Unfairest," Raven said. "You must be cheating."
Apple laughed. "Maybe I'm just lucky."
"You can say that again," Raven said. She didn't notice Apple's face heat slightly. "So, what do you want to do now? I don't really have any desire to lose again."
Apple had hung out with her all week, since Raven pretty much refused to leave her room. She couldn't stand facing the people she had let down, those who hadn't wanted to follow their destinies. Cerise, Hunter, Ginger... she felt like she had disappointed them. It didn't help that they hardly looked at her. Of course, she didn't make the decision to sign for them. They could have refused without her guidance. She hadn't asked to be a leader. She didn't want everybody's fate in her hands. Apple was better at that kind of thing. Raven had signed, knowing Apple would be a good ruler. If someone else had been destined to be Snow White, maybe she would have acted differently.
"We could go down to the Castleteria to get a bite to eat?" Apple suggested. Raven blushed and buried herself in her blanket, which she had tugged off her bed and onto the floor where the two of them sat. She wasn't ready to go outside.
"No way," she said. "What if I see Cerise? I didn't go after her the other day. She probably hates me."
"Now who's being dramatic?" Apple said. She tugged the blanket off of Raven. "Cerise does not hate you. She's your friend, and friends support each other. Besides, it's not like she has a terrible destiny. She might get eaten, but at least she survives!"
"You don't know the full story," Raven said. She reached for her blanket, but Apple threw it back on her bed before she could reach it.
"That's true, and I won't ask for it," Apple said, smoothing out the blanket. "But if someone's your true friend, then they'll still be your friend even if they think you make the wrong choice."
Raven chortled. "Would you still be my friend if I hadn't signed?"
Apple scoffed. "What sort of question is that? Of course I would! I definitely would have been mad at first, but I wouldn't just abandon you. You're one of my best friends forever after. Nothing is worth losing you over."
Raven stared at Apple, trying to look for any tells. As usual, she couldn't find any.
"I can't tell if you're lying or not."
Apple laughed. "Be that as it may, I can guarantee you that your friends don't hate you. Maddie has been over here several times to see you!"
"I guess that's true,' Raven said, thinking of her best friend forever after. "But I don't know about the Castleteria. I don't think I'm ready just yet."
"That's okay," Apple said, sitting back on the ground besides Raven. "How about Hocus Latte? Oh wait, no, Blondie just reviewed it, so it will be pretty busy. How about Green Bean Garden? Lots of royals go there, so you probably won't see Cerise."
Raven sighed, but reluctantly agreed. She had to leave eventually. If she stayed inside for the rest of her life, she would be paler than Apple. She stood, linking arms with her roommate as she escorted her out the door.
"This is going to be hexcellent," Apple said. Raven still wasn't sure if she agreed.