Archive of Our Own ^beta

“—She should be back in the Mirror-Prison by now,” Snow White began, “It was a misjudgement on my part to…pardon her.” 

The students of Ever After High stared up at the queen as she rubbed the back of her neck, a nervous tick that had implemented into Darling’s mind. The alumni babbled on and on about how the school will be closed for a while and that all repairs will be paid for. Some cheered, some groaned as their wounds began to seep. 

Darling found herself disengaging from the group; she limped across the field searching for a set of bleachers that were torn down—or burnt—by the Evil Queen’s wrath. She had remembered seeing Raven tearing up as she took Nevermore back to whatever remained of their dorms. Her hands were marred, dirt and blood caking her epidermis. It was all superficial. 

Then she heard it, a quiet whimper. A whimper that turned into a sob; a sob that turned into an anguished wail. Darling swung her head, crouching, trying to get a glimpse of who might’ve been hurt and not tended to. 

Her eyes widened.

Darling stood behind the broken bleachers, her fingers calloused and burnt. She looked over the wreckage, onto the ground and saw her eldest brother shivering. He looked back, she blinked; one regret stared at another. 

Daring turned over and crumbled onto the ground, his shiny blonde hair mussed and covered in twigs and dirt. The boy had covered his mouth by this point, his cries muffled. Darling felt her heart crumble. She crouched beside him, her fingers reaching to clean up his hair. Daring jolted, his reddened eyes piercing into Darling’s soul. 

“Darl—” A disgusting gurgle escaped Daring, “Leave me alone, please.” 

“You’re hurt.”

“Please—”

“You’re bleeding.” 

Darling unfurled her brother, no matter how hard he protested, and saw her hand dye red. His jacked was missing—he looked naked without it—his skin covered in ash, his fingers calloused; Darling gulped. She ripped a part of her skirt and wrapped it around Daring’s wound. 

“Let me call someone,” Darling whimpered, “Put pressure on it, I’ll be back.” 

His fingers felt rough on her hands. 

--

Dexter was busy calling back home, he mumbled something about wars and rebellions before shutting the door. Darling sat beside Daring, the latter sat upright in the hospital bed. He picked at his dreary food, a grimace lacing his features. 

“What’s it taste like?”

Daring hummed, he looked at Darling and picked up a bit of mash with his plastic spoon. It dripped down like glue. 

“Tastes great.” Daring suppressed a smile. He ran his fingers through his, now clean, hair; a tick that Darling knew meant he was hesitant. He pushed  his plate away and turned to stare at his sister.

“Do you want my crown?” He asked timidly. 

Darling tilted her head, “Your crown? Why would I want that? It’s yours.” 

“I’m just,” Daring paused, “I just want to make this easier.” 

Darling furrowed her brows, what was her brother even talking about—Of course she knew what he was talking about but she just wanted to forget it all—She dragged her chair closer to the bed to hold onto his hand.

“Even if you’re in a hospital bed, you’re still the oldest.” She couldn’t bring herself to look at him. His grip loosened.

“Why are you making this harder?” Daring hissed but he still looked like a broken little boy.

“I don’t know what you want from me.” 

He slammed his free hand on the edge of the bed, “Do you know how much this kills me? My whole life was for that moment; the only moment where I could prove if I could ever live up to the expectations everyone had for me. You know what happened? You did. You took it from me! And now you won’t even give me the satisfaction of talking about it.” 

He huffed and turned away from her, “I’m not stupid, you know? I know Apple doesn’t like me. I know she could never like me, have you seen the way she looks at—” He stopped, he stopped and let out a harsh wheeze, “But, that wasn’t what I wanted. It had nothing to do with Apple’s love—lack-there-of—for me. I just wanted to show people that I wasn’t just some stupid pretty-boy; that I was someone who could save the only person I was meant to save; the only thing I was meant to do and I couldn’t even do the bare minimum .” 

“Don’t yell at me,” Darling warned, “What did you want me to do? Watch her die ? I didn’t want to take your Destiny from you, I don’t want anything to do with Destiny!”

Daring grit his teeth, “Destiny is the only thing I’ve ever known. It was the only reason I had some kind of purpose. Now, it’s gone. At least give me the dignity of passing it down to you.”

“I don’t want anything passed from you! I think all of this is stupid! Do you really think I want something awful like Destiny to control my life? Why do you let it control you—how dare you let it control you?” Darling felt tears streaming down her face, “I just want to know if my damn brother will be alright after I found him bleeding to death.”  

Stolen, stolen life; stolen Destiny. Darling felt guilt deep in her bones. 

“If you won’t listen, why stay? Go. Don’t tell father about it.”

Darling stomped away, she felt a brewing rage in her blood. Yet, she couldn’t help but miss his blinding smile.

They don’t speak for weeks.

--

Darling carried a backpack full of warm clothes, blankets and those awful packet hot chocolate Dexter was obsessed with. She trekked through the snow that the Snow King decided to curse them with—she had heard from Briar that she, Daring and a few of her other friends went and fixed it but they had no idea how long it would take for all the snow to actually melt.

She dropped the backpack and stretched, her joints popped as an involuntary yawn left her. Dragging the bag, she knocked on the window.

Daring seemed surprised to see her; his face went from confusion to perkiness then to worry as he opened the window.

“What are you d—”

“—I bought hot chocolate, the bad one, and some blankets.” She interrupted. 

Daring opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something but Darling pushed past him. She used her feet to create a snow-less spot on the ground and plopped herself down. Daring watched as she unpacked. 

“I thought you’d never talk to me again,” Daring started but was overcome by Darling’s oddly shrill voice:

“—Can you get some hot milk? Do you even have milk?” 

“Darling, we have to talk about th—”

“Daring,” Darling’s lip trembled, “Later, please.”

So, for once, Daring listened. He sauntered into the kitchenette, poured two mugs of milk and warmed it in the microwave; he felt restless through it all.

“Couldn’t you get actual chocolate? Dexter’s preferences are…well, they’re preferences for a reason.” Darling chuckled as Daring placed the mugs down.

“What did Dexter say about them again—oh yeah,” Darling plugged her nose and mimicked her twin's voice, “They’re convenient and practical on the go! ”

And that’s how the day went, the two reminisced over the past few years; they spoke about their life, their friends and their roommates.

“Speaking of Rosabella, did she have something to do with you not being your beastly-self anymore?”

Daring shuddered, “Something like that. I’m just glad that I’m not furry all over anymore.”

The prince sighed, “Since, we’re talking about it. I need to tell you something,”

Darling leaned in.

“I’m sorry. You know, for what happened that day in the hospital? I wasn’t actually mad at you. Just mad at myself; I disappointed myself, I think, I felt like such a failure when I couldn’t wake up Apple.”

She felt her eyes widen, she was fully prepared to just ignore what happened. A part of her felt this evil shiver go up her spine to see Daring begging for forgiveness but, another part of her wanted to scream at him; she wanted to tell him that Destiny would have never been more important to Darling than Daring himself.

“I’m sorry too, I should’ve tried to talk to you af—”

“No, no, I should’ve spoken to you. It was all me; I ruined it all.”

Darling placed a comforting hand on Daring’s shoulder, he looked so pitiful, so pitiful in fact that she couldn’t even bring herself to crack a joke: ‘Isn’t it funny how we let ugly old men like Headmaster Grimm tell us what to do?’ 

“Did you come here with hot chocolate and blankets because you felt…bad..? About what happened, that is.” Daring inquired.

Darling found herself mimicking Daring’s expression, she rubbed her arm and pursed her lips, “I was going to stuff your locker with hairspray to make you forgive me but Cerise convinced me otherwise.”

That got Daring’s blinding smile out.

Darling needed to change the subject before it got too sappy: “Speaking of Destiny, are you going to date Rosabella?”

“Ah,” Daring looked contemplative, “I don’t really know. I don’t think I’m ready for a relationship. You know when you spend your entire life being someone’s boyfriend, you kind of forget who you are underneath it all? Underneath all the glam, teeth whitener and hairspray? Yeah, I think I need some time for myself.” 

Darling didn’t know how much she understood but she nodded anyway.

“What about you,” Daring raised an eyebrow, “Are you going to be with Apple then, live that Prince Charming life?” 

Darling thought about it, she had spent her whole life stuck in the role of an unimportant maiden; she was forced into a tower because people just couldn’t control themselves. It didn’t matter what Darling wanted—and oh did she want —she was trapped; she was stuck in that horrid tower until her father told her that she was free to go. It felt like a noose, she could feel her breath leave her and never return.

She knew what Destiny held. 

“I don’t know, maybe,” Darling clutched her cup of hot cocoa, “But not like this. I don’t want Destiny to tell me what to do. I don’t want her to be with me just because Destiny told her so.” 

Destiny had ruined their parents; it would ruin her too.

“I need her to love me for me, not because I’m her Prince.” 

Daring’s eyes softened and, finally, he let himself smile. He wrapped his own blanket around his sister and sighed.

Despite the eternal winter, Darling felt warm for the first time in weeks.