Ever After High - One shots

Love & Logic (Darling + Apple)

Apple White's pov

I hadn't talked to Darling ever since she woke me up from my sleeping curse. Quite honestly because I didn't know what to say. What do you say to someone who rescued you with a true love's kiss - whom you're destined to spend the rest of your life with - when you don't know if they feel the same. I don't even know what I feel in this situation. A True love's kiss is meant to mean the name - True love - but I had never considered Darling in that way before. She was a great friend but there is quite the leap between great friend and the love of my life. It was all just so very confusing.

But I'm never one to leave things unresolved. I had put off talking to her for a bit, which was easy in the start, since we were all fixing the mess that the Evil Queen left behind. However as things cleared up, it became inevitable to face Darling, and what's a better time than now? I waited until I knew Rosabella wouldn't be in their dorm, as I didn't want to risk any rumours about me and Darling going viral. Rosabella isn't one to gossip, but I know how easily stories spread around the school, and I didn't want to risk my mother finding out, one way or the other. God knows what she'd say about this. 

I knocked on the door and a few seconds later I was met with Darling's gaze. Her face started out neutral, but once she realized who it was, her expression got slightly sad, almost afraid - which is not usual for Darling. She swallowed harshly and then finally spoke. "Apple...! uh, come in" she said as she held up the door for me, and I carefully made my way in. She was wearing her ordinary gown, but this was the first time I realized it wasn't ordinary at all. Instead of puff shoulders like I was wearing, she had pieces of armour on her shoulders. Her corset was also more like a knight's armour than a princess's dress. The actual fabric of the dress was light blue and silver, perfectly matching her hair, that fell down along her arms. She might've been wearing a tiara, but this was no damsel in distress. She was unique, brave and selfless. And she was standing there right in front of me, looking absolutely gorgeous

Stop thinking like this Apple. This is not how your story's meant to go.

I snap out of the trans-like state I had found myself in and I try to remember why I came here in the first place, as I fix my posture a little. "Darling..." I started, and licked my lips to hide my nervosity. "I want to...- I think we sho- We need to talk about what happened" I finally state. "Right, well, um... you're right, definitively right, we do need to talk about it" She stalled, making me realize I had to start the conversation - somehow. 

I start with logic, of course, because logic is logical - and I don't want to pour my heart out when I don't really know what I want- so logic it is. "It doesn't make sense, right?" I say slightly panicked as I begin to wander back and forth across the room with Darling watching me idly. "My destiny is to be saved by and marry Daring and your destiny is to be saved by someone else, If you are suddenly in my destiny, then your destiny would fall apart, meaning all destinies fall apart, meaning I no longer have a destiny. No destiny means no Happily Ever After - No curse, no kiss, no future, no lif-". I had gone so far into my own thoughts I didn't realize Darling had moved closer to me until she grabbed my shoulders and took me back to reality. She looked at me and slowly said "Apple, calm down".  I took a deep breath in and out and maintained eye contact with her. Those bright blue eyes staring at me, glowing in the sun from the window. 

Apple, stop. Don't you want your Happily Ever After?

She let go of my shoulders but still spoke to me calmly after that rant. "Your destiny is to be saved by a Charming. I am a Charming. The one in your destiny could just as easily be me as it could be Daring!" She said with a slight smile forming on her face, which made it so enticing to just agree - but I can't. "No, It couldn't!" I exclaimed as I brushed past her shoulder, and then turning back to face her. "What about your destiny?" I said and she rolled her eyes in response. "If you were really going to rescue me, it would've been part of your destiny!" I continued, ignoring her boldness. "Apple, I thought you would've noticed by now, I don't care about my destiny!" she yelled. "Well, maybe you don't care about your destiny, but I certainly do!" I retaliated swiftly. She continued "Yeah, of course you care about your destiny! It's all you talk about!" "I don't mean my destiny, I mean yours!"

It went quiet as I felt a tear build in my eye. "If you don't follow your destiny, you just might disappear, and I could never live with you risking that for me" I said with a shakey voice, emphasizing how important this was. We held eye contact for a bit before she ran up and embraced me into a hug that I truly, truly needed. I buried my face in her shoulder and held her tightly without letting go, and it felt like eternity was passing. "I will go against my destiny whatever happens, because..." she said and pulled out from the hug so that I could see her face. "Because when I'm the white knight, I feel amazing- I feel alive! In a way that I have never felt before! And whether it's in the Storybook Of Ledgends or not I know that it is my destiny"

Her words went directly against my beliefs. All my life the only thing I knew as constant were the stories, and in particular, the Storybook Of Ledgends. I don't know what it was in that moment, maybe it was the way her eyes lit up like a child while talking about it. Or it was the passion in her voice. Or it was just that I wanted to believe that this could work so badly. Either way, right then and there, I let go of the Storybook. And it felt amazing.

"Maybe..." I started, my voice trembling as I looked down to the floor. Her expression went neutrual in anticipation for what I was about to say. I took a deep breath, looked back up at her and said "Maybe the True Love's Kiss wasn't all wrong". A smile with relief grew on her face and she took my hands and moved a smuge closer. I smiled at her and she then agreed with me, saying "Maybe  it wasn't"