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Daring still remembers the day he found his father in the study with another woman.
He remembers standing there in silence, just outside the door, his heart pounding violently against his chest as he watched the scene unfold. He remembers the nausea that hit him when he quietly closed the door and ran out to the lawn, too shaken to confront him, too shaken to tell his mother.
He never understood why. Even after turning the memory over again and again in his mind, he couldn’t grasp what could drive his father to do such a thing, especially to his mother, the woman who was supposed to be the love of his life, his true love, his destiny.
Daring had grown up believing that true love was forever, that once you found it, you lived for it, and it lived for you.
So why?
He didn’t sleep that night. His thoughts spiraled through every possibility, wondering whether telling his mother was the right thing to do.
The next morning, when he could barely swallow his food from the knot in his throat, Daring gripped the hilt of his toy sword and walked through the halls of his home, his heartbeat echoing in time with his steps.
When he reached the sitting room and saw his mother, so calm, so serene, quietly working on her embroidery, his courage nearly failed him. He might have slipped away unnoticed, if she hadn’t seen him first.
“Daring?” she called. When he turned, a warm smile spread across her face. “What is it, dear? Tired of sparring with your brother?”
“No, that’s not it.”
He kept looking at her until she raised an eyebrow and sighed.
“Dare, sweetheart, just tell me. You’ve been acting strange all morning. You know I don’t like that.”
She shifted on the sofa, patting the empty space beside her.
Daring sat down, his palms damp, clutching the sword as though it were the only thing keeping him from saying what he’d seen.
“Well?” she prompted. “What is it?”
“Mom…” he hesitated. “Do you know if… Dad has female friends?”
“Well, of course he does,” she replied lightly. “He’s the king, after all. He needs connections, good relationships to keep the kingdom standing. You’ll have to learn that someday, when you’re king.”
Good relationships.
Daring tightened his grip on the sword.
“But it’s different.”
His mother’s lips pressed together, her gaze sharpening.
And then Daring saw it, the moment a shadow passed over her face. Confusion gave way to understanding in a way that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end and his grip loosening.
“Mom,” he said quietly. “I think… I saw something I shouldn’t have.”
“Was it your father?”
He nodded.
“And what did you see?” she pressed. “Another woman?”
Daring nearly choked when she said it so plainly.
“How do you—”
“I wasn’t born yesterday, Daring. Do you think I don’t know your father has… relations with that woman?”
“But, if you knew, then why…?”
“There are things we don’t say. Things better swept under the rug, as if we never saw them. And that is exactly what you’re going to do.”
“But mom, why? Dad, he’s your destiny! Your happily ever after, your true love.”
“Daring, this kind of thing…” she hesitated, her jaw tightening. “It’s more complicated than you think. A child like you wouldn’t understand.”
“I understood when you told me true love could overcome anything. That no matter the problem, everything would turn out fine.”
“And we are fine, aren’t we?” she countered. “Tell me, did you tell your siblings what you saw?”
“No.”
“And you won’t.”
“But—”
“Daring, listen to me. Your father is the king. Do you want to destroy that?”
“No.”
“You want to keep your family, don’t you? Then you’ll say nothing. Pretend you didn’t see.”
“…And you, mom?”
“Do you think I never knew? That your father sleeps with that… would-be reporter? That I don’t know about those ‘interviews’ he claims to attend?”
Daring lowered his gaze, trying to hide the frustration threatening to spill over.
“Listen to me, my son,” she continued. “Things don’t always turn out the way we want. Fairy tales aren’t always what we imagine them to be. So it’s up to us to work for our happy ending.”
Daring said nothing.
In fact, he stayed quiet for a long time after that day.
He avoided his siblings, which wasn’t difficult. Dexter didn’t train with him, and Darling was almost like a ghost in his daily life. He stayed away from his father’s study, and whenever he saw his mother smile at the king, he looked away.
Where was the fairy tale he’d been promised? The powerful, undeniable love that could overcome anything? Why could his father kiss and touch that woman? That wasn’t his destiny.
And yet, his father kept meeting others. One in particular appeared more often than the rest; blonde hair, blue eyes, soft pink lips.
Daring didn’t know her name. He didn’t care to. Whoever she was, it didn’t matter.
But one question echoed in his mind. If his father was with other people… why was his destiny still intact?
He didn’t have an answer. And asking his mother wasn’t an option.
So he just accepted it.
Push it under the rug.
Pretend he never saw.
A few years later, Daring finally discovered who the woman was, the one who had occupied so much space in his mind, and in his home, hidden away in his father’s study.
When he and Dexter were called to attend Ever After High in their first year, Daring recognized her immediately. The same pale hair, the same light eyes that had haunted his memory for so long.
She stood there with a girl by her side, one who shared those same features, clutching a mirrorpad to her chest.
Daring forced himself not to stare. Instead, he focused on his father’s instructions, particularly the ones concerning Apple White.
Honestly, he didn’t understand why she mattered so much.
Yes, she was his future wife. The future Queen of Ever After. The fairest of them all.
But to him, she was just… the same.
Apple was no different from any other girl walking the halls of Ever After High, except for the fact that she had the best destiny of them all.
And Daring didn’t love her.
She was his friend, of course, but nothing more than that.
Still, he wanted the crown. He wanted to be king, to sit on the throne and rule the entire kingdom. Maybe even have a room made entirely of mirrors.
He could learn to love her. Learn to live beside her as husband and wife.
And even if he flirted with other girls, Apple White would still be his and he would still be king. Because Apple truly believed that destinies had to be followed exactly as written.
So she would wait for him, even if he was with someone else.
Just like his mother had.
After all, if his father could keep his destiny, his kingdom, his palace, and his family… Who was Daring Charming to do any different?
ꫂ ၴႅၴ
Daring found himself staring into the mirror. And if anyone had asked, he wouldn’t have been able to say how long he had been standing there.
But that wasn’t him. It was… something.
Yes, something. A creature, a monster that looked like it had crawled straight out of his darkest, most vivid nightmares.
His hair was gone, replaced by a massive, grotesque white mane that swallowed half his face and neck. Long, sharp claws extended from his hands, capable, he was sure, of tearing through even a dragon. His body was covered in fur, larger than it had ever been, monstrous in shape and size.
There was nothing princely left in his features.
Only something ugly. Something beastly. And yet, Daring couldn’t stop staring.
His gaze remained locked on his own reflection, on his eyes, the only thing that hadn’t changed, the last visible trace of his humanity.
Once again, he didn’t understand.
Why him? Why was all of this happening to him?
First, he had been trapped in a world of mirrors. At first, it had seemed like a dream come true, but he couldn’t even see himself. Only others. People walking past him, talking, living, as if he didn’t exist. As if he had never been there at all.
Him, Daring Charming, forgotten. Ignored.
When, in his life, had that ever happened? When had he ever imagined becoming invisible?
And then, just as he thought it was over, just as he was freed from that cursed prison, another one took its place.
This time, inside his own mind.
He wasn’t Apple’s Prince Charming. He wasn’t her destiny, he wasn’t the future king, he wasn’t the one meant to wake her with true love’s kiss!
But that couldn’t be right. He was her destiny. He might not love her, but he was still her prince.
At least… he was supposed to be.
So it was true. There was no destiny. No true love. No legacy waiting to be fulfilled. Then why had his father succeeded? Why hadn’t he?
They had promised him a happy ending. Promised him that everything would fall into place, that all he had to do was be Snow White’s Prince Charming.
So why couldn’t he wake Apple?
What was he supposed to do now?
He couldn’t tell his father or his mother. What would they do, cast him aside? Strip him of everything? Send him away, banished to the forest alongside the rest of the discarded Charmings?
Appearances. Appearances. Appearances.
That was all his family had ever been. But he wasn’t the future king anymore. He wasn’t anything, and he doubted his father would ever understand that.
And then, amid the shock of no longer being a prince charming, something else struck him. Something that shook what little sense of self he had left.
His little sister, the clever, overlooked Darling, she was… the Prince Charming?
Daring had spent weeks turning that thought over in his mind.
Really? Her?
Apple’s prince, or rather, her princess, was his little sister?
He wanted to be surprised. He truly did.
But somewhere deep inside him, buried beneath layers of pride and denial… It made sense.
Darling had always had a strange connection with Apple. Something intense. Something that looked a lot like obsession, or… maybe something closer to love.
Not that Daring was any expert on that, he only recognized it because of something Dexter had once said about Raven Queen.
The awkward smiles, the flushed cheeks, the way words stumbled out wrong, the inability to meet someone’s eyes without falling apart.
Daring didn’t want to accept defeat, but it was hard to stay hopeful when the truth stood right in front of him: his siblings, the ones who had always been overlooked, dismissed and forgotten, were the first to find true love.
It was ridiculous. How had they found it… and he hadn’t?
How was he not worthy of it? Wasn’t he the most handsome in the kingdom, wasn’t that enough?
Who was he, if not his appearance?
And now… even that was gone.
ꫂ ၴႅၴ
“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?”
“I don’t know.”
Daring buried his face in his hands and took a deep breath, letting the darkness behind his closed eyelids try, if only for a moment, to quiet the chaos in his mind.
Then he felt it. A hand brushing gently along his back.
The warmth of the touch sent a shiver down his spine, and when he lifted his head, he found those almond-shaped eyes looking at him, the kind that somehow always made him feel… seen.
“You’re pretty stubborn, aren’t you?” Rosabella said.
A soft, nasal laugh slipped from him.
“I’m not that bad.”
“Good to know that hasn’t changed, Dare.” she teased.
Dare.
For some reason, the nickname sounded different in her voice, softer and more warmer. He couldn’t remember when they had started calling each other that, or how it had suddenly become so natural.
“Do you think I’ve changed a lot?” he asked.
“You tell me. I’m not the one who turned into a terrifying beast.” Rosabella replied with a small laugh, mimicking the way he describe himself once he turned into a beast.
Daring looked away again. He had changed.
Not just physically, though that alone had been… an adjustment. Fur everywhere, from his body to his head. That mane was starting to drive him insane, and those claws were the worst part of it all. He no longer had the gentle touch of a man, nor the charm of a prince.
Now he was nothing more than a monstrous beast covered in fur, coughing up hairballs.
But that wasn’t what she meant, and he knew it.
“I think I have.” he admitted. “It’s still hard to let go of appearances, you know?”
“You don’t have to let go completely.” Rosabella said gently. “There’s nothing wrong with caring about how you look, Dare. Just… don’t let it become everything you are. I don’t mean to sound bossy, but—”
“No, you’re right.” he cut in, shrugging lightly. “As much as I hate to admit it… you are.”
Her hand remained steady against him, moving slowly over the fur of his back as she held his gaze.
Then she smiled.
And something strange twisted in Daring’s stomach.
For a split second, he thought he might be sick, that everything he’d eaten would come rushing back up in the most humiliating way possible. But it didn’t.
Instead, it felt like his stomach might lift off.
“Bella…” he murmured. “How did this happen?”
Her brows furrowed, confusion flickering across her face.
“What do you mean?”
“Us.” he clarified. “How did we end up like this?”
The question seemed to catch her off guard. Her hand slipped away from his back, and the sudden absence of her touch left behind an unexpected chill.
“I guess… after surviving a corrupted king, facing winter in the middle of summer, and almost dying more than once…” she said slowly, “it’s kind of hard not to grow attached.”
Daring nodded.
“Yeah… but I think we should stop guessing.”
Rosabella laughed again, soft, effortless, the kind of laugh that could be heard even in a crowded room without ever being loud.
She had a strange effect on him.
He had only ever felt something like it once before, with Lizzie.
With Lizzie, his heart had raced in a way that made him feel off-balance, almost dizzy. He liked making her blush, liked the way she reacted to his smiles.
But this? This was different.
With Rosabella, everything felt… easy.
Natural, just Like breathing or blinking.
He wasn’t nervous around her. Maybe a little restless, sometimes, but never afraid. Never worried about being rejected.
“Yeah,” she said, smiling back at him, “I think you’re right.”
That smile lingered, and Daring felt himself returning it without even trying.
“Well,” Rosabella added, stepping back slightly, “I’ll leave you alone now. You’re probably tired of all this.”
Normally, Daring wouldn’t even be listening anymore.
He’d be thinking about his reflection, about his hair, about whether his smile still looked perfect.
But now? Now he listened.
To every word, sentence, syllable.
And he had the distinct feeling that he could spend a very, very long time doing exactly that.
ꫂ ၴႅၴ
Less than a week had passed since Daring had turned human again, and he couldn’t stop thinking about Rosabella Beauty.
He couldn’t understand why looking at himself in the mirror no longer felt as satisfying as searching for her in a crowd, just so he could smile at her and watch her return it.
Every time he spotted her from afar, a strange queasiness twisted in his stomach, and he found himself unable to go up and talk to her. It almost felt like he was coming down with something, because whenever he lay in bed, his mind wandered back to everything the two of them had been through.
Her smile, her almond-colored eyes, her red lips, the way she dressed, the curve of her waist, the line of her neck—
Daring shook his head sharply when the image became too vivid.
Despite all his flirting with princesses and even those who weren’t, Daring wasn’t the kind of guy who lay awake at night imagining people like that. He was better than that.
But of course, with Rosabella, it was different.
Well, obviously, he thought to himself. Of course she would show up even in his most forbidden thoughts.
Daring rested his head in his hands, still lying back as he stared up at the ceiling, trying to force her out of his mind. He tried with everything he had to forget her smile, the faint scent of roses that seemed to follow her, the way she curled in on herself when she laughed, or tilted her head when she was annoyed, or just about to tell someone exactly what to do.
And yet… none of it would leave him.
Daring turned over in bed once again, far too restless to fall asleep. He could feel his body reacting as his thoughts wandered further and further, and the more he tried to push them away, the more the warmth that had started in his face spread through the rest of him.
Frustrated, he grabbed one of the many pillows piled around him and buried his face into it.
Maybe if he tried hard enough, he could force himself into sleep, slip into some other plane where his mind would finally be free of thoughts of Rosabella.
ꫂ ၴႅၴ
It was obvious. Daring could no longer stop himself from searching for Rosabella in the middle of the crowd.
All of his senses seemed to seek her out wherever he was. Whether it was in Crownculus class, when Daring would straighten his posture and scan the room for her, or during the jousts he fought in, always looking for her among the thousands of princesses cheering his name.
Everything seemed to have fallen back into place, with one small difference: he was no longer Apple’s Prince Charming, Darling was. He was no longer the only one with a “true love”; now Dexter and Raven held that role.
Instead, Daring was the one desperately fighting for Rosabella’s attention. He had never imagined it would come to this, that he would be the one chasing after someone, lowering himself for scraps like a dog seeking its owner.
Not that Rosabella avoided him. Quite the opposite, she seemed to make a point of staying close, returning his smiles, his winks, the conversations he started. Things that, once upon a time, the mere idea of them being friends would have been as absurd as seeing a goat fly.
But she didn’t seem to be on the same wavelength as him. She didn’t seem to search for him in a crowd, didn’t seem to wake up exhausted after hours spent lying awake at night thinking about him.
Daring was getting sick. He could feel it in the way he could barely focus during classes.
It was no longer just something simple, no longer a vague idea of destiny they both avoided discussing. It had become something more, something physical.
Daring wanted to find her in the middle of everyone, pull her close, ask if she felt the same, this physical need to be near, the tightness in his chest whenever they weren’t together, the sensation that his heart might burst if he went another minute without speaking to her.
It was affecting him in a way that robbed him of sleep.
So Daring turned to the last person who could possibly help him when it came to love.
“What’s wrong with you?” his sister asked when she saw him standing alone on the school lawn.
“Oh, very subtle of you, little sister.”
Darling simply laughed and rolled her eyes.
Despite being new to hero training, she still carried a trace of her old self; books were tucked under her arm, and the tips of her fingers were stained with ink.
“So? Are you going to tell me why you’ve been staring at me like that?”
Daring scratched the back of his neck and sighed, thoughtful.
“I… well, I… I need to talk.”
Darling looked surprised at that, her eyes widening slightly as she tilted her head.
“Oh, uh… yeah, of course.” she hesitated for a moment. “What is it?”
“I think we shouldn’t talk here.”
“Dare, if this is another one of your existential crises—“
“No! No, it’s not. Seriously, is that how you see me? As dramatic?”
Darling didn’t answer, and Daring decided not to push it… he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answer.
“Look, I’m serious. I need advice.”
When they were finally alone, sitting on the front steps of the school, quietly watching the sunset paint the sky in shades of orange and blue, Daring let out a long, painfully drawn sigh.
“What the hell happened to you?” Darling asked.
“Ugh, that’s the problem, I don’t know! Everything’s been so… confusing and messed up since I turned human again. Since I became a beast.”
“Why?”
“If I knew, I wouldn’t be… like this!” he gestured to his own body.
“Answer the question, Daring.” Darling said, irritation clear in her voice. “Why?”
Daring bit his lower lip and focused on everything he had been through over the past few weeks.
Then he let it all out, everything he felt, everything he had been thinking. Darling just listened, quiet and still.
When he finished, all she said was:
“That’s rough, buddy.”
Daring resisted the urge to grab his sister by the shoulders and shake her until everything he had said made sense.
“Oh really? do you think I don’t know that? Try going without sleep, barely eating, living just to think about someone!”
Darling only looked at him like he was a complete idiot, as if he were the one who didn’t understand his own words.
But then she smiled at him, soft and understanding, in that way only Darling, after everything she’d been through, could.
And he understood.
“Dare…” she began, shaking her head. “Dare, do you really think I don’t understand what you’re going through? That feeling like your stomach’s going to take flight, the heat every time you look into their eyes, the urge to talk to them all the time…”
Darling lowered her gaze, looking at her ink-stained hands, and a small smile spread across her face.
Daring immediately knew who she was talking about, and suddenly every conversation he’d had with Rosabella came crashing back over him.
Ah, Darling… you’ve always been special, haven’t you?
“Am I in love?” he asked bluntly.
“Daring, you’re lovesick.” she laughed. “I’m surprised you didn’t notice sooner.”
“Lovesick…” Daring repeated under his breath. He rested his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands. “Why am I lovesick?”
“I don’t know. Dexter felt the same way about Raven. Though he got stomachaches. It was pretty bad. I guess it’s something about us Charmings.”
“Something about us Charmings? What do we even have now? A hereditary disease?” Daring laughed, but apparently, his sister really meant it. “So what about you?”
Darling took a deep breath and leaned back on the step behind her.
“I remember not being able to sleep. It took me a while to realize I was in love. I tried to deny it to myself that I loved Apple. I mean, who doesn’t love her? And me? A princess? That felt impossible.”
“You tried to deny it? Did it work?”
Daring watched as his sister drifted for a moment, as if searching her memory for a reasonable answer.
“No.”
“No?”
“It only made me sicker.” Darling said, turning to him. “You’re going to get yourself killed if you don’t just accept that you’re in love with Rosabella.”
“Wow, you’re amazing at giving advice, sis.”
“Hey! I’m speaking from real experience. If you don’t agree, why didn’t you just go talk to Cupid?”
Daring lowered his gaze again, with nothing to answer but the truth.
And the truth wasn’t easy to face. It was, in some ways, more terrifying than turning into a monstrous beast.
But his sister seemed to understand. It was as if she could read his thoughts from the way he sighed.
“Cupid wouldn’t understand… would she?”
Daring stayed silent.
“This isn’t just about your feelings for Rosabella. Right?”
“It’s more than that, Darling. How can I be destined for her? After a lifetime believing I was something else… it’s hard to believe otherwise. And even harder to imagine what father will think.”
“I get it, Dare. More than I’d like to admit.”
“Dad’s going to think we’re a disappointment. One son is in love with a Rebel and can barely lift a sword.”
“Dare.” Darling scolded.
“And his daughter, a Charming princess, holds the title of knight and is in love with the queen of the entire kingdom.”
“Future queen.” his sister corrected slowly.
“And me… the one who was supposed to be the perfect son. I’ve lost my destiny and now I’m in love with… with another princess.”
This time, Darling said nothing. Maybe Daring had touched on something too sensitive for both of them, something that had only ever existed as unspoken thoughts. Putting it into words like that might have been comforting… if it weren’t true.
“We’re pretty screwed, aren’t we?” Daring broke the silence after a while.
He turned to his sister with a genuine smile, and had the rare pleasure of seeing her mirror it.
They laughed.
They laughed in a way they hadn’t in years. Truly laughed at the situation, at the moment, at the memories, at the thoughts tangled between them.
And just as suddenly as it had started, the laughter faded, leaving them breathless as silence settled once more.
“We should’ve been friends, Daring.” Darling said, her voice thick. “We should’ve talked. Gone through all of this together.”
“Yeah… I know.”
Daring heard her sniff beside him and wondered how many times she had thought about what they could have been, something more than just acquaintances forced into the same story.
They could have really been siblings.
“Anyway, I think you should go talk to Rosabella.”
Darling stood from the steps, adjusting the books under her arm. She gave him a warm smile and shrugged lightly.
“Conveniently, I’m heading out tonight for a walk in the forest to meet someone.”
Daring just nodded, still trying to process everything she had said.
“That was a good talk, brother. And don’t worry about Rosabella. I… I bet she feels the same way.”
“You think so?” he asked.
Darling nodded before turning and heading back up the steps toward the school.
“See you later, Dare.”
When she was halfway down the corridor, Daring, still seated, called after her.
“Darling!”
She glanced back over her shoulder, and with a grin, Daring winked.
“Make sure to tell Apple she still owes me a kingdom!”
Darling only smiled and rolled her eyes, completely ignoring him as she continued down the hall.
Daring took a deep breath, letting his thoughts drift back to their conversation.
One thing, at least, was certain:
A lot of this could have been avoided… if he had just listened to his siblings.
ꫂ ၴႅၴ
Even lying in bed, Daring couldn’t sleep.
The thought of Darling sneaking out at night and leaving Rosabella alone so he could talk to her terrified him. What was he supposed to say? The truth? That, once again, he couldn’t sleep because he couldn’t stop thinking about her?
It sounded ridiculous. She was going to think he was an idiot.
Still, the idea of spending even more weeks unable to sleep, unable to focus on anything besides his appearance and Rosabella, sounded even worse.
He glanced toward the bed across from his, where Hopper slept peacefully in frog form, tangled in the blankets.
This was Daring’s chance to slip out unnoticed and wander through the halls of the school in the middle of the night.
It was a terrible idea, sneaking around just to visit the girls’ dorms and talk to a princess. None of it sounded remotely reasonable, and of course the idea had to come from Darling.
Daring could wait until morning, when things would be calmer and nobody could accuse him of anything. But he didn’t know if there would be time, or if he would even run into Rosabella during the day.
Besides, he didn’t want to spend another sleepless night.
If he talked to Rosabella, then at least he would know whether she felt the same way or not.
So it was settled. There were more advantages than disadvantages.
He needed to talk to her. Needed to know if she, too, stayed awake thinking about him, and whether, by some twisted joke of destiny, she would become the beauty to his most beastly form.
ꫂ ၴႅၴ
Rosabella only lifted her head from her trance when she heard a loud thud nearby, making all of her study materials tremble as a few pencils rolled off the table.
Darling had slammed against the corner of Rosabella’s desk while unsuccessfully trying to pull on her riding boots.
“It would help if you sat down.” Rosabella advised.
“Forget it, I got it already.”
Now with both feet firmly on the floor, Darling finally tied her hair into a ponytail and placed her hands on her hips like a proud child posing for approval.
“So? How do I look?”
Rosabella glanced over Darling’s outfit, riding boots, a light skirt layered over the athletic leggings she always wore whenever she decided to sneak off into the forest at night, and her white cloak.
Then her attention shifted to the open window, revealing the beautiful full moon outside and the freezing wind pouring into the room.
“You’re going out again?”
“Ugh, it’s just a walk.”
“It’s always ‘just a walk,’ Darling.” Rosabella stood and crossed her arms at her friend. “Tell me, how much have you been bribing Apple to convince her to break the rules just to see you?”
“How rude of you to assume I’m bribing her.”
Darling tilted her head and pouted like a spoiled princess. Sometimes Rosabella forgot just how much she resembled Daring.
But after a sigh, Darling gave in.
“Look, it’s the only time we get to talk. We don’t really have another chance to see each other besides at night.”
“You two attend the same classes, Darling. What’s stopping you from talking? Is it Apple? Is she embarrassed?”
Rosabella regretted the question the second it left her mouth. Obviously, that was still a sensitive topic for Darling.
“No, it’s not that.” she said quietly. “It’s just… Headmaster Grimm has been watching us. I think he keeps observing us to figure out what we’re doing, or what we’re going to do.”
“That man is kind of creepy, isn’t he?”
Darling nodded.
“I don’t think he likes Apple very much. Or me. And to avoid more questions from her mother and my father, we figured it’d be better to keep things secret.”
“You know that—”
“Needs to change? Yeah, I know.” Darling interrupted softly. “But I don’t want to worry about that right now, Bella. I’m happy like this. And Apple is too.”
“Alright, alright. Message received!” Rosabella grumbled, raising her hands in surrender.
“So?” Darling looked at her hopefully. “You’re not going to tell anyone I snuck out, right?”
Darling looked at Rosabella with such open expectation that she didn’t even have the heart to tease her by refusing. Instead, she simply nodded.
Darling nearly squealed with excitement and threw herself into Rosabella’s arms in a tight hug.
“Thank you, Bella! Thank you!”
“Oh, Darling, honestly. It would’ve been strange if I hadn’t helped you.”
“Thanks anyway. I owe you one.”
“You owe me several.”
Darling laughed and rolled her eyes while adjusting the cloak around her shoulders.
“I promise I won’t be long.”
“Good. You promised you’d help me in the forest early tomorrow morning.”
“I remember. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a princess to see.”
Rosabella rolled her eyes and waved lazily as Darling climbed down the vines hanging from the dormitory tower, pausing only to wink at her friend before disappearing completely into the night.
Now alone in the dormitory, Rosabella had nothing to worry about. She knew Darling would end up taking a while, as always, which meant she would have the room to herself for quite some time.
Alone, with far too much space for her restless thoughts about Daring.
He had been acting so strangely lately. Always nervous, distracted, distant every time Rosabella waved at him. And for one brief moment, just one, when she caught herself imagining what it would be like to actually be friends with Daring Charming, she had liked the idea.
She had discovered that behind all that arrogance and stubbornness was a kindhearted boy who had grown up in a place where love had never really been a strong point. Daring had far more compassion than Rosabella ever expected him to possess, and she had been surprised to realize how much he noticed things she had assumed he would never bother paying attention to.
And when he transformed into a beast, something inside her had exploded in a way she couldn’t describe. Some kind of anticipation that filled her from the inside out. Then he had become human again, looked directly into her eyes, and thanked her for everything.
Her heart had leapt in a way she would never forget.
Curses, she was stupid!
How could she possibly be falling for someone like Daring? Even after everything, even after he had changed, after becoming a beast, she couldn’t allow herself to feel that way about him.
They were friends, nothing more. And deep down, Rosabella knew they would never be anything beyond that.
A knock startled her from her thoughts.
At first, she assumed it was Darling again, bumping into the table or tripping near the window, but then she remembered her friend had gone out for one of her “walks” to meet Apple, and the chances of her already being back were practically nonexistent.
Another knock followed the first, then another, and another.
A rapid series of impatient knocks echoed through the dorm until Rosabella groaned in irritation and stormed toward the door.
“I heard you already! Honestly, what’s the rush—”
She swung the door open, expecting anyone, even Darling.
But Daring standing there with messy hair, wrinkled clothes, and his pajamas definitely wasn’t what she expected.
Judging by the expression on his face, her shock was obvious enough to unsettle him too.
“Uh… hey, Bella.”
Bella.
Oh. He was talking to her.
“What are you doing here?” she asked quickly, trying to recover from the awkward moment. “It’s the middle of the night, you—”
Only then did Rosabella fully process the fact that Daring Charming was standing outside the girls’ dormitory at night.
She immediately grabbed his arm and yanked him inside with all the strength she had, though she knew perfectly well she wouldn’t have managed it if he hadn’t willingly followed.
“What are you doing here, Daring?” she hissed once the door slammed shut behind him. “Have you lost your mind? If someone catches you here, they’ll start a scandal!”
“I know, I know!” He raised both hands as though trying to calm a wild animal. “But I needed to talk to you.”
Rosabella bit the inside of her cheek and looked away, her face growing warmer by the second.
Daring wanted to talk to her? No, he needed to talk to her.
“Couldn’t this wait until tomorrow?”
“No, Bella. I need to sleep tonight. I need you to tell me, I—”
He stopped abruptly, lips pressing together as if someone had magically glued them shut.
Daring looked even stranger than usual, restless, agitated and definitely messed up.
His blond hair was a mess, completely out of place. His blue eyes were red, and if Rosabella narrowed her gaze enough, she could swear there were dark circles forming beneath them.
“You don’t look well.” she said softly.
“No, no, I’m not!” Daring ran a hand through his already disheveled hair. “I’m losing my mind, I’m going completely insane—”
“Alright, alright!” Rosabella shot a glance toward the open window before making sure the dormitory door was firmly shut. “But stop yelling or someone’s going to realize you’re here.”
“No one would recognize my voice through walls.”
“Trust me, they would. There isn’t a girl in this school who wouldn’t recognize Daring Charming’s voice.”
Then Rosabella fell silent.
Because even if it was true, it still bothered her knowing every princess in the kingdom would practically fall to their knees for Daring.
Did they know even the smallest thing about him? The real him?
Did they know he pushed himself so hard he always had to stay ahead of everyone else? That it was his father who made him that way?
Of course the princesses knew Daring was vain.
But did they know he was like that because it was the only thing he had ever been taught to be? To keep looking perfect even when everything around him was falling apart?
Rosabella felt her chest tighten painfully. Because she knew all of that.
And Daring would probably never realize just how much she cared about him.
“What do you think about that?”
His voice snapped her from her thoughts.
His expression was unreadable, brows drawn together anxiously, lips pressed tight, wide blue eyes fixed on her as though her answer mattered more than anything else.
“What?”
“Does it bother you that all those girls recognize my voice?”
This time, Rosabella was the one caught off guard by how precise the question was.
“I—I don’t know. Why would it bother me?”
Something in him seemed to crumble instantly.
Rosabella watched his face pale, watched his already messy hair somehow look worse.
“Daring, you’re scaring me.”
He shook his head quickly, breathing unevenly as his chest rose and fell at an alarming pace.
“Dare—”
“Would you recognize my voice?” he interrupted abruptly. “If I was in another room instead of this one, would you recognize it?”
“Yes.” she answered quietly. “Yeah… I would.”
“And would that bother you?” Daring stepped closer. “If I wasn’t here, if I was with another girl, would that bother you?”
Where was he going with this?
Rosabella was pressed so tightly against the door she felt like she might disappear into it. Her palms were sweating against the wood, her glasses slipping down the bridge of her nose, but she couldn’t bring herself to move.
She wasn’t afraid of Daring, but she was frightened by how utterly wrecked he looked.
“Bella!” he called again desperately. “Would you like it if I was with another girl?”
“No!” she admitted after hesitating. “No, I wouldn’t.”
“Why?”
Rosabella looked directly into his eyes, just as she had so many times before.
She thought they were beautiful.
Most princesses would probably talk about his hair or his smile, which were beautiful, but neither of them came close to the deep blue of Daring’s eyes.
“Bella, please answer me.” he pleaded, taking another step closer. “Are you scared?”
“No, Daring. I’m not scared. But you’re making me nervous, and worried. Why are you asking me all this?”
“Because I need to know!” Daring dragged his fingers through his hair again before rubbing both hands down his face. He hid his eyes, his mouth, almost all of himself behind them as he muttered muffled words against his palms.
“I need to know if it bothers you the way it bothers me.”
“What bothers you?” Rosabella stepped toward him this time. “You… aren’t happy with how you look?”
“No, it’s not that. It’s…”
Daring stared at his own hands as if they might somehow provide the answer.
He looked awful now, worse than when he had first arrived only minutes ago.
The dark circles beneath his eyes were obvious now, his lips pale, his pupils blown wide.
“Dare…” Rosabella walked closer and gently took his hands in hers. “Why would you care if someone recognized your voice?”
“No, no…” he murmured, shaking his head weakly. “It’s not about me.”
Rosabella felt her heart stutter at the words.
When in her entire life had she ever imagined hearing something like that from Daring Charming?
“It’s about you.” he continued, finally lifting his head to look directly into her eyes. “I wouldn’t like it if another guy recognized you from far away.”
“Why?” Rosabella whispered.
“Because only I should.” his voice dropped lower, softer, almost aching. “Only I should know your voice the second you call for someone.”
Instantly, Rosabella tightened her hold on his hand, wishing whatever was tearing him apart like this would finally let him breathe.
“Daring, I—”
“Would you come?” he interrupted, eyes locked onto hers so intensely she couldn’t even think about looking away. “If I called for you, would you recognize my voice? Would you come?” His voice faltered for the briefest second. “Would you let another girl go in your place?”
She found herself shaking her head as he spoke, too overwhelmed to force actual words past her lips.
“No.” she answered slowly.
“Why?”
“Because I know you.”
Rosabella lifted her free hand and placed it against his face.
He was burning up. His skin was so hot it almost felt feverish beneath her palm, as though he might melt apart at any second.
She instinctively tried to pull away, startled by how obviously sick he was, but Daring caught her hand against his cheek and closed his eyes.
“Dare, you’re burning with fever.”
“I know.”
“What?” she exclaimed. “You know, and you still came here? You should’ve gone straight to the infirmary so someone could take care of you! You—”
“No.” Daring opened his eyes again and stepped closer, so close their bodies nearly collided. “I need you to tell me. I need you to tell me what you feel. Every thought. Every little thing you’ve ever thought about me.”
“Daring—”
“When I was a Beast, you never looked away.” His grip tightened slightly around her hand. “You looked at me even when I was hideous and grotesque and monstrous. But when I became human again, you changed.”
“I didn’t change. You changed, Daring. You started noticing the world around you. You started realizing not everything is about appearances.”
“Then why didn’t you stay with me when everything changed?”
“Of course I stayed!”
He shook his head again, still holding her hand against the burning heat of his skin.
“I was a monster. A Beast.” His voice cracked around the word. “I know you have doubts about your destiny. I know you don’t want to become the princess of a beast, but…” His lips trembled visibly now. “But I was one. And you saved me.”
He pressed her hand more firmly against his cheek.
“I know you don’t want to follow your destiny, and I was confused about mine too, and I didn’t know who I was.” His breathing became uneven again. “I was so attached to the idea that I belonged to Apple that I never realized my real destiny was never with her.”
He stepped closer again, but Rosabella didn’t move away. She stayed exactly where she was, only tilting her head upward to keep looking into his eyes.
Her heart slammed so violently against her ribs it felt as though it might burst free from her chest at any second.
“I always thought true love was something you built.” Daring continued. “I thought I had to build it with Apple because… because I didn’t love her. But you, Bella… you made me realize true love isn’t something you create. You find it”
Daring smiled then. Not the bright, arrogant smile everyone knew, not the practiced prince’s grin. This one was real.
“And I found you.”
Rosabella felt as though her entire body could burst into flames at any second. She had never expected Daring Charming, in his most beautiful pajamas, to appear at her dorm room in the middle of the night, confessing true love to someone like her.
She lifted her other hand to his face, not entirely sure how she was supposed to react to any of this, or whether she should even say anything at all.
Her heart was still beating far too fast inside her chest, and her mouth felt too numb to form words. Too many thoughts invaded her mind at once, and putting them into words wouldn’t have been enough to describe everything she was feeling.
But then Daring continued.
“So I need to know, Bella,” he said, still smiling, “if, despite your destiny, you would accept being the fairest princess to a beastly prince like me. Because I’m being honest when I say I need to know if—”
Rosabella only realized what her body had done when her lips touched Daring’s.
She pulled away almost immediately, still holding his cheeks firmly between her hands.
But she did not regret stealing a kiss from him, much less silencing him with one.
A smile slowly curved across her lips when she realized Daring was staring at her, completely stunned.
“You’re unbelievable, Daring.” she whispered, brushing her thumbs over his cheekbones. “I never thought I would like you. I never thought I’d end up becoming your friend… or that I would enjoy being around you this much.”
Rosabella stepped closer to his burning warmth, feeling their bodies fit together perfectly. She had never realized how badly she needed to be this close to him until his hands tightened around her waist with almost desperate need.
Then she let her hands slide up to Daring’s neck, drawing him even closer as she kept her eyes locked on his.
“And I certainly never imagined I would fall so hopelessly in love with you.”
When a smile had already spread across both their faces, when they were standing so close it felt as though they were about to become one, Daring rested his forehead against hers and laughed softly.
“I was getting sick.” he admitted. “I was starting to lose my mind because of you, Rosabella Beauty.”
Rosabella let out a quiet laugh of her own, breathless and warm against his lips.
“Only a fool wouldn’t have noticed I was hopelessly in love with you, Daring Charming.”
Suddenly, everything went still.
The world around them seemed to move in slow motion, as though only the two of them existed in that moment.
Everything felt so perfect, so right, as if destiny truly did exist and had been waiting for the exact moment for their story to finally fall into place.
And then, when waiting was no longer an option, when the anticipation between them threatened to consume them both, Rosabella leaned in and felt Daring’s lips fit perfectly against hers.
She felt the warmth of his mouth, the soft dampness of his lips against her own, and wished time itself would slow down.
Her heart was still racing wildly, but the instant Daring pulled her closer, lifting her just enough to force her onto the tips of her toes, she felt his own heartbeat pounding firmly against her body.
Rosabella tangled her fingers in his hair and gasped softly into the overwhelming kiss that seemed to take hold of her entirely, wondering how she was ever supposed to survive another day without this.
Her lips parted instinctively, and just when she thought she might finally manage to catch her breath, Daring surprised her by lifting her effortlessly into his arms.
His hands settled beneath her thighs, and her legs immediately wrapped around his waist as naturally as breathing.
Everything about this felt so… right.
“You don’t mind, do you?” Daring asked softly, keeping his forehead pressed against hers.
The only thing Rosabella managed to do was shake her head, unwilling to move even an inch away from him.
Their lips met in another kiss, this time abandoning all gentleness to make room for the longing and desire that had been consuming them for weeks.
Rosabella tangled her fingers deeper into the prince’s blond hair, only realizing he had carried her to the bed when her back sank against the soft mattress.
Even with Daring hovering over her, kissing her as though she were the only thing he needed or wanted, none of it felt overwhelming. She felt strangely at ease with how naturally everything unfolded, and she only truly noticed the intensity of the moment when Daring left her lips to begin pressing kisses along her neck.
“Daring, Daring, wait…” Rosabella grasped his shoulders, watching him pull back just enough to look her in the eyes.
Despite the darkness of the dorm room, lit only by the moonlight spilling through the window and the small lamp glowing in the corner, she could tell he looked far less feverish than when he had first arrived.
Even though he was still burning warm against her.
“What is it?” he asked softly. “Did I go too far?”
She shook her head.
“No, I just… I’ve never done this before.”
Daring blinked in confusion.
“You’ve never kissed anyone?”
Rosabella shook her head again, moving her hands from his shoulders to cup his face.
“Is that a bad thing?”
“No, I just didn’t expect it. I’ve only kissed one person too.”
“Wait, you thought I’d already kissed someone?”
Even in the darkness, Rosabella could see his face turning red.
“You’re a good kisser.”
That was all he said before kissing her again, drawing a surprised gasp from her lips.
The sound of their kisses echoed through the room in soft little breaths and quiet snaps, but the moment her lips parted, Daring closed the distance with his tongue, and the kiss deepened enough to make every thought in Rosabella’s mind disappear completely.
“Dare…” she moaned against his lips.
Her hands slid down his shirt until they rested against the warm skin of his back; she could feel his muscles tightening beneath her fingertips, the heat of him burning against her skin.
While catching his breath, Daring lowered his mouth to her neck, scattering kisses and bites along the way.
“Dare, careful…” Rosabella whispered, pressing her nails lightly into the muscles of his back.
“Don’t worry, we won’t go further than this.” he replied softly. The warmth of his breath against her neck sent a shiver through her.
A moment later, Daring lifted himself slightly, bracing his hands against the bed while he looked down at her with quiet intensity.
Rosabella raised the hand that had been resting against his back and brushed her knuckles gently against his cheek.
“Thank you.” she said.
He arched one eyebrow and smiled, more confident now than before.
“For what? I’m the one who should be thanking you.”
“For trusting me.” she answered. Her thumb brushed lightly over his lower lip before she smiled back at him. “And for not disappointing me.”
Once again, Daring looked momentarily stunned by her words. Still, he didn’t let the surprise overtake him as he slowly leaned closer to her face.
But he didn’t kiss her like before. Instead, he pressed a kiss to her forehead with all the tenderness in his heart.
“Thank you… for making me a better person.”
Daring rested his head in the curve of Rosabella’s neck, and all she could do was hold him close, as though her arms alone could protect him from anything.
And deep down, Rosabella had never imagined she would one day have Daring in her arms. Never imagined he could fall in love with her, nor that she could fall just as deeply for him.
Destiny truly could be a funny thing.