Chapter Text
She was asleep.
Or perhaps she had never truly awakened.
The world around her shimmered beneath a sheet of glass. Voices reached her from somewhere impossibly far away, softened until they became little more than echoes drifting through water.
Someone was crying.
Someone else was calling her name.
Apple knew the voices.
She simply couldn't remember how to answer them.
She tried to move.
Nothing happened.
Her body remained wonderfully still.
Inside, however, her thoughts wandered without direction.
She had never known such peace.
She had never known such restlessness.
She wondered if time had stopped.
If mornings still began with birdsong outside the dormitory windows.
If Briar was still sleeping through breakfast.
If Ashlynn's woodland friends were still sneaking into class.
If Raven...
The thought drifted away before it could settle.
Everything drifted away here.
Even memories.
Especially memories.
She wanted to wake.
She didn't know how.
Perhaps this was what enchanted sleep truly was... not dreaming, not living, but waiting.
Waiting for something you could no longer remember.
Then...
Something caught.
A dull ache blossomed in her throat.
It grew.
Sharpened.
Pressed.
The apple.
It had always been the apple.
She tried to swallow.
She couldn't.
She tried to breathe.
The air refused her.
For one fleeting, terrible moment, she stopped fighting.
Maybe...
The thought lingered only long enough to frighten her.
No.
No.
That would be selfish.
The word echoed louder than the cries surrounding her.
Selfish.
She hadn't apologized.
Not to Darling, for throwing her off her dragon.
Not to Briar or Ashlynn. They deserved someone better than her.
Not to Raven.
Especially not to Raven.
Not to anyone who had believed in her while she had stopped believing in them.
She couldn't leave them with the mess she'd made.
That wasn't fair.
That wasn't kind.
That wasn't what a princess was supposed to do.
She clawed desperately for another breath.
Just one.
Please...
～～～～～
Apple woke with a gasp.
Morning sunlight spilled across her blankets in warm patches of gold.
Her hand flew to her throat before she realized she had moved at all.
Nothing was there.
No apple.
No unbearable weight.
Only the memory.
She breathed once.
Twice.
By the third breath, the tightness in her chest had begun to loosen.
"It was only a dream," she whispered.
Outside, Ever After High was waking. A distant bell chimed. Someone laughed in the hallway.
Life had continued while she slept.
Apple carefully folded her blankets until not a single wrinkle remained.
There.
Better.
If she couldn't keep her thoughts tidy, she could at least manage her room.
～～～～～
The mirror reflected exactly what everyone expected.
Perfect posture.
Perfect hair.
Perfect smile.
Apple picked up her brush.
One careful stroke.
Then another.
Golden strands slipped over her shoulders like spun sunlight.
She paused.
Mother's hair is darker.
So much darker, as black as ebony.
Apple almost smiled at herself.
Funny.
Snow White's daughter wasn't supposed to wonder whether she looked enough like Snow White.
The thought earned itself a quiet scolding.
She reached for her crown.
Centered it.
Tilted it slightly to the left.
No.
Back again.
Perfect...
... Or close enough.
Then came the smile.
She practiced it, and practiced it, until she didn't know how to not smile.
Not too wide.
Not too stiff.
Warm.
Comforting.
Her mother had always smiled as though kindness came as naturally as breathing.
Apple had spent years trying to learn how.
Some mornings it felt effortless.
This morning...
She sighed.
"No," she told her reflection gently. "Try again."
The second smile stayed a little longer.
Good enough.
She picked up her books and left before the mirror had a chance to disagree.
～～～～
The corridors buzzed with the familiar music of another school day.
People debated loudly over whether dragons counted as household pets. A pair of pixies argued about homework while flying.
Everything looked exactly as it should.
Apple wished it felt that way.
Conversations dipped whenever she approached.
Not every conversation.
Just enough for her to notice.
She smiled brightly at a pair of younger students. They smiled back. One even waved.
Apple waved too.
The moment they disappeared around the corner, her smile faded.
She hadn't imagined their hesitation.
Had she?
Dragon Games had ended.
The dragons had gone home.
The Evil Queen had been defeated.
Everything was supposed to be normal again.
So why did normal still feel so far away?
Almost without thinking, she straightened her crown.
───
The dining hall smelled of cinnamon, honey, and fresh bread.
Apple filled her plate carefully. She wasn't especially hungry. Skipping breakfast, however, seemed irresponsible.
She had just stirred honey into her tea when someone dropped into the seat beside her.
"There you are!"
Briar's grin could have rivaled the morning sun.
"I've been looking everywhere."
Apple blinked.
"I've been sitting here."
"I know."
"...Then where were you looking?"
Ashlynn arrived a moment later, balancing a small basket. A sleepy hedgehog peeked over the edge before curling back into a little ball.
"I'm sorry," Ashlynn said with a patient smile. "She makes perfect sense to herself."
Briar gasped dramatically.
"Betrayed before first period."
Apple laughed.
The sound surprised her.
It had been a while.
Briar beamed.
"There it is."
"What?"
"Nothing!"
Briar rescued it before it became uncomfortable.
"So."
She leaned forward conspiratorially.
"I've decided we should all hang out tonight."
Ashlynn raised an eyebrow.
"You decided that every night."
"And one day you'll all listen."
"We have exams."
" Ugh. Don’t remind me"
Apple smiled despite herself.
The conversation wandered from impossible homework assignments to the suspicious intelligence of campus squirrels. She thinks. She’s not sure. But Apple tried to listen. Answered when someone asked her something. Laughed in the right places, and when she couldn’t, she took a small sip of tea.
Every now and then, she caught Ashlynn watching her.
As though making sure Apple was really there.
The thought tightened something inside her.
They were still here.
Still talking to her.
Still inviting her into conversations.
She wasn't sure she'd ever deserve it.
Dragon Games had changed all of them.
She had nearly destroyed the school trying to protect the very story she'd been born into.
How many people had she frightened before realizing she was wrong?
More than she wanted to count.
Ashlynn reached across the table to brush a crumb from Apple's sleeve.
"There."
Apple blinked.
"You had a crumb."
"Oh."
"All gone now."
"Thank you."
Ashlynn smiled as though it had been nothing.
Perhaps it had.
Perhaps Apple was simply making every kindness feel larger than it was.
When breakfast ended, Briar linked an arm through hers.
"We'll see you later?"
Apple hesitated.
Only for a second.
"Of course."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
Briar squeezed her arm once before letting go.
Ashlynn waved.
"Have a lovely morning."
"You too."
Apple watched them disappear into the sea of students.
"They're wonderful," she murmured.
The words felt almost borrowed.
She wondered if wonderful people ever grew tired of forgiving. She wouldn't know.
～～～～～
Apple adjusted the stack of books in her arms.
She still had a little time before meeting Raven.
Enough time to apologize again.
Hopefully only once today.
She walked more slowly than she intended. Students hurried around her, conversations rising and falling like birdsong.
Apple barely noticed.
She wondered whether apologies could expire.
Whether there came a point where saying sorry became more about easing one's own conscience than helping the person who'd been hurt.
If so...
She hoped she hadn't crossed it.
She turned the corner.
And walked straight into someone.
"Oh!"
The books slipped from her arms.
Except...
They never hit the floor.
Apple looked up in surprise. Every single book had been caught before it could fall. One gloved hand snatched the last volume from the air just as it was about to hit the ground.
Darling Charming looked just as startled as Apple felt.
"Oh," Darling said quietly as she gathered the books into a neat stack before offering them back. "Are..." She hesitated. "...Are you okay?"
Apple accepted the books with an easy smile.
"I certainly am." She glanced down at the perfectly ordered stack. "So are they. Thank you, Darling."
Darling looked at the books as though she'd only just remembered she'd caught them. A faint blush crept across her cheeks.
"I... didn't really think about it."
Apple laughed softly.
"It was impressive."
"It really wasn—."
Darling opened her mouth, certain she had something to say. The words hovered on the tip of her tongue, but whatever she meant to say simply... vanished. All that remained was the frantic beating of her heart.
"..."
Apple smiled.
Just smiled.
Completely unaware of the devastation she left in its wake. It was the sort of smile that could bring kingdoms to their knees, bright enough to make the world feel lighter without even trying.
Apple noticed a loose strand of Darling's hair had escaped the ribbon at the back of her head. Darling, meanwhile, seemed intensely interested in everything except meeting Apple's eyes.
"Thank you," Apple said. "I appreciate it."
Darling finally looked up. Her smile was small, shy enough that it almost disappeared before Apple could return it.
"You're welcome."
Another pause settled between them.
"I should let you get to where you're headed."
"Right." Apple shifted the books in her arms. "I was actually on my way to meet Raven."
"Oh."
Darling nodded.
"Well... I hope you have a spelltacular day."
Apple laughed quietly.
"I hope so too."
Darling took a hesitant step backward.
"So..."
"So."
"I'll..."
A bashful smile tugged at her lips.
"...See you around?" Apple completed.
"I'd like that."
The words escaped Darling so quickly that her eyes widened, as though she'd surprised herself.
Apple pretended not to notice.
"I'd like that too."
Darling gave the smallest little wave before disappearing into the crowd.
Apple watched until Darling vanished around the corner.
There was something reassuring about Darling.
Steady. Gentle.
She couldn't quite place it.
Apple found herself smiling.
A real smile.
With one last glance down the corridor, Apple hugged her books a little closer and continued toward her destination.
Raven would already be waiting.
She reached up automatically to straighten her crown. It hadn't moved at all.
Still...
It felt better after she'd checked.