Part 6 (1/2)
Smile and make eye contact like her mother?
Nothing seemed right.
aIa uhaa She always used to know what to say. But she also used to be Apple White, future Snow White and future queen. If Raven broke their tale, who was Apple anymore?
The hushed moment pa.s.sed. With no direction from Apple, the crowd began to talk at once.
aLook, those are the original gla.s.s slippers!a aMaybe I could be a Royal now.a aMaybe I wouldnat have to be a Royal now.a aDo you think that tiara would fit me?a aStop it, you guys,a said Apple. aPlease.a No one paid her any attention. Anger cooked Apple, and she turned to Raven. aThey wouldnat normally act like this, you know. Theyare all riled upa”scared evena”after Legacy Day.a aYouare saying that this is my fault?a said Raven.
aWell, partly, yes.a aItas not, Apple,a said Raven. aItas not all my fault. They choose what they do. Iam not making anyone do anything!a Apple saw Ashlynn Ella trying on a pair of elf-made shoes, her hands trembling as if she just couldnat help herself. Apple started toward her, intending to rally her Royal friends into setting a good example, but she overheard Ashlynn say, aIf I were a shoemaker instead of a princess, then I could marry whomever I wanted.a Hunter Huntsman set down his ax and took up a sword. aWhat if Iad been born a princea?a He looked at Ashlynn. She blushed and turned away, her hand rising to her cheek where shead been recently smacked with a soy turkey sausage patty.
aIave decided, Ash,a Hunter whispered. aIam giving up on my destiny. Iam going to drop out of school and become a fisherman.a aHunter, no! For one thing, youare a vegan!a What? He was supposed to be the Huntsman in the Snow White story, Appleas story, not go off and become a fisherman! When had Hunter become unhappy with his destiny? And for that matter, why was Ashlynn dreaming about being a shoemaker instead of a princess? It seemed the catastrophic events of Legacy Day were infecting more people than Apple had realized.
Shouting drew back Appleas attention. While shead been eavesdropping on Hunter and Ashlynn, the crowd in the Treasury had lost all control.
d.u.c.h.ess Swan was holding Humphreyas strings and puppeting him around the room. Briar was climbing atop the Princess and the Pea stack of mattresses. Dexter zoomed by, teetering on the witchas broom. A boy in gla.s.ses flying around on a broomsticka”what a peculiar sight!
aHow do witches do this?a Dexter said, wobbling dangerously.
The yelling grew louder, and what had been playful began to turn bad, like a pastry left too long in the oven.
aYou Royals be careful with our heirloomsa”our stories matter, too, you know.a aWell, you Rebels be careful with ours!a aWatch out!a aPut that back!a aYou put yours back!a aRebels are soa”a aWell, Royals are incrediblya”a aVermin!a aTyrant!a aDestiny is mine! Mwa-ha-ha!a Twice in two days, these groups were shouting, upset, everything as upside down as Kitty Ches.h.i.+reas smile. And Apple in the middle of it all again, though this time her confidence seemed to have turned into a frog and hopped away.
aStop,a Apple said. But not loud enough to be heard.
She couldnat seem to make eye contact with anyone. And a confident smile slid off her face, leaving her with a heavy and unfamiliar frown.
Apple was afraid. Something worse than detention would come of this. She felt it in her core. And yet she believed herself powerless to stop it.
Narrator! Yoodle-hoo! Iave been looking for Raven everywhere. I wanted to hear about her Yester Day.
I think sheas a little busy right now.
Where, in the Treasury? Itas so noisy! I didnat know there was a party going on.
Not a partya”
Donat be silly. Look at everyone dancing around. This must be a party. Though, donat tell Dexter, but falling off a witchas broomstick is an odd way to dance. Why does Sparrow have his pockets stuffed full ofa”Oh! I see! Itas a Swappers.n.a.t.c.h Gyre!
Itasa what?
Oh, you know! Once a year we would invade the Queen of Heartsas castle, take things, and hide them all over Wonderland. The treasure hunt could last for months.
Ah, yes, I learned about the Swappers.n.a.t.c.h Gyre in my Advanced Allusions and Cross-Cultural Reference cla.s.s my last year at Ever After High. But this isnata”
I didnat know Ever After celebrated the Swappers.n.a.t.c.h Gyre. What fun!
Maddie, wait!
RAVEN GLARED. THE NOISE WAS TWISTING her stomach and scratching at her eardrums, and she felt as if shead landed in a nest full of giant chickens. Stranger things than finding oneself in a nest of giant chickens did occur in Ever After, not least of which was the scene before her.
Helga and Gus Crumb were playing tug-of-war with a piece of Neversnap Taffy. Briar was dozing atop the stack of mattresses, her superpowered sleep allowing her to ignore the pea beneath them, and snoring sweetly. Sparrow and his Merry Men were improvising a truly dreadful rendition of aStairway to Valhallaa on the Treasuryas stock of instruments, including Professor Pied Piperas magic flute, Jackas golden harp, and the Wicked Witchas bongos of madness. And on top of it all were the constant shoutsa”Rebels and Royals yelling and name-calling and blaming each other.
Raven just wanted to run away. Or at least find a pot of peas porridge to hide behind. But that hadnat done much good last time.
aThis has got to stop before something gets broken!a Apple said, backing into the threshold with Raven and away from the bedlam. aDo something, Raven!a aMe?a said Raven. aI never asked to be a leader, and I donat know how to be one anyway.a aWell, you are, whether you like it or not.a aI tried to stop an angry mob earlier today and nearly ended up in a river. Besides, why donat you do something?a aDo whata”smile and make eye contact?a said Apple.
Raven tilted her head. aWhat?a aNothing, never mind. Iam as mad as a hot apple dumpling because I should be able to fix this, but no one had any useful advice for me today and Ia Ia I donat know what to do!a aEverybody calm down!a Raven yelled.
Some people glanced her way but kept on with what they were doing.
aTheyare just choosing their own destiny. Isnat that what you wanted?a said Blondie, wearing a full royal cape and crown.
Raven clenched her fists and felt a crackling in her fingertips. A dozen different spells ran through her head. Could she freeze everyone? Make them levitate? Cover them in sticky goo? Turn them into lizards? That might stop the madnessa”but then again, the spell could backfire and turn everyone into lizards permanently. Or worse.
aOoh!a Maddie ran in. aA party!a aMaddiea wait, itas nota”a Raven started. But Maddie was already in the middle of the fray, squealing and shouting, aHappy Swappers.n.a.t.c.h, everybody!a The crowd thickened, and Raven could no longer see Maddie. Raven was just about to risk that freeze spell after all when someone yelled, aThe headmaster!a The room emptied faster than a bowl of candy in the hands of Helga and Gus.
Raven moved out of the threshold as Headmaster Grimm, Madam Baba Yaga, and Professor Rumpelstiltskin entered. Only then did Raven realize one person had stayed behind in the Treasury.
Maddie was standing on a giant helmet, which had fallen off a giant suit of armor. Raven could see peeking out of Maddieas skirt pocket the bra.s.s tip of Aladdinas lamp and a pink magic wand. On the ground below her, as if it had fallen from her pocket, lay a tiny gla.s.s unicorn.
aWheee!a yelled Maddie. aDonat stop now. Letas party on!a aHeadmaster!a Rumpelstiltskin yelled, pointing at the unicorn. aIs thataa aThe Uni Cairn,a the headmaster whispered.
Baba Yaga gasped in fright. It was a sound like the inhale of a dragon, like the hiss of a giant python. A sound Raven never thought to hear from the steely dark sorceress. Was she joking? It was just a mini gla.s.s figurine, like the kind one might buy in a souvenir shop for the price of a pack of gum.
aBack! Everyone back!a Headmaster Grimm shouted. aI need a magical perimeter now!a Apple and Raven backed up farther into the threshold. Maddie hopped off the helmet and joined them.
aWhat is all the fussing and fretting and fl.u.s.tering?a she asked.
Raven shrugged.
The headmaster tiptoed forward, while Baba Yaga and Rumpelstiltskin stepped carefully behind him, holding out their hands, magic sparking between them.
aIs the Uni Cairna compromised?a asked Baba Yaga.
aWhat is that thing?a Raven whispered.
aLooks like one of those trinkets I used to collect on my dresser,a Apple whispered back.
The headmaster took a magnifying gla.s.s from his breast pocket and peered through it.
aCracked,a he said in a strained whisper.
Baba Yaga gasped. Rumpelstiltskin wailed.
aThatas what you get for using a gla.s.s knickknack!a said Baba Yaga.
aIt was the last place anyone would look!a said the headmaster. aBesides, binding spells are most effective on gla.s.sa”gla.s.s towers, gla.s.s slippers, gla.s.s mirrorsaa Grimm was rambling, his hands trembling above the trinket.
aOh dear, you want me to glue your pretty toy?a Maddie asked, taking off her hat and rummaging through it. aIam sure I have a tube of super duper glooper glue in here somea”a aStay back!a the headmaster yelled. aNo one touch the Uni Cairn! Iall needa letas seea a pillow woven from fairy silk, sterling silver tweezers, and, uha a drop of charm blossom honey. Oh, anda”a He was interrupted by a quiet tink. The gla.s.s unicorn had moved. Milton Grimm held up his hands for silence. Raven held her breath. She suddenly felt afraid.