Chapter Text
Ashlynn was running. She was used to running, seeing as she could never seem to make it anywhere on time. But today felt different…worse, somehow. Her eyes still stung with tears, used and crumpled tissues shoved into the very depths of her bag. Her lungs ached from sobs, and as she scrambled from the hybrid carriage in a mess of fabric and high heels, Hunter gave her that look,
That sad, pensive, worried look of his that never seemed to go away anymore. She hated when her husband looked at her that way.
Clenching her jaw and holding her things close to keep them from flying away in her rush, Ashlynn didn’t know when Ever After High got so many stairs. Her calves were burning as she ascended them two at a time, blearily looking between her watch and a compact mirror as she fixed her face with her unoccupied arm. She was already incredibly late and she probably looked an absolute wreck. That happened when one came from the doctor's office with nothing but bad news.
Why couldn’t it have been good news instead?
Forcing the emotions back to deal with later, Ashlynn nearly twisted her ankle as she reached the landing, her glass high heel nearly sending her over the banister rail in a flurry of limbs. Thankfully that didn’t happen, and she continued her mad dash down the hall towards the Headmaster’s office. It was strange, knowing it was no longer Milton and Giles Grimm who occupied it. They’d retired after the last graduation, intent to travel the world and collect fairytales in a new book. Ever After High had been empty for nearly three years now. Something that was about to change in just a few short weeks with the help of the new Headmasters: Dexter and Darling Charming.
And, of course, Ashlynn was late to the final and most important meeting of the new school council. Fairy-cursing under her breath, Ash barely had time to smooth out her hair as she pushed into the office without nary a knock, heaving for breath. She’d scared those closest to the door, all eyes looking up at her sudden and somewhat ungraceful arrival.
“I’m here!” Grabbing onto a post and holding a hand to her chest, all the faces now staring at her were friendly ones. Friendly, if not a tad concerned. After all, she wasn’t one to go leaping into meetings without even knocking first. “S—sorry I’m late, Headmaster.”
“Ashlynn, you made it!” Dexter gave her a somewhat bewildered smile, pushing up his glasses and adjusting the crown which was still just a bit too big for his head. “We were just wondering where you were.”
“My appointment,” Ash huffed. “It ran long, I got here as…as fast…fast as I could.”
“You’re pale as a sheet, sweetie,” Apple noted, sitting primly beside Darling as her delicate brows furrowed. “Are you alright?”
“Fairest, your majesty,” Ash replied, giving a half-bow as she dragged a hand up and over her hair to try smoothing it again. “What did I miss?”
“Just some small addendums. Nothing too important. Raven can you—?”
Raven nodded at her Good King, waving a hand to stop a magical quill from taking notes. “We’ve mostly been finishing up with official dorm assignments, classrooms, and extracurricular activities,” she recited, using her finger to scratch a few things out.
Ash accepted a chair from Farrah, who had the same look on her face as Hunter. No doubt her Fairy Godmother had felt her distress miles away, but couldn’t say anything. Ashlynn gave the girl a nudge, the fairy quickly shaking herself to fix her face. They’d certainly be talking later.
“So I didn’t miss the—?”
“You know we wouldn’t do the lottery without you, seeing as you’re a major part of its success,” Dexter insisted, waving his hand in a friendly manner. “We were just ironing out how Ever After and Valiant will work, seeing as we’ll all be in the same castle.”
“I can assure you that my students will be far too busy to interfere with yours outside of sanctioned co-ed activities, Dex,” Darling reassured. “I’m hexcited to have proper gallantry lessons here at Ever After, but it won’t be an easy track. Dragon riding, swordsmanship, kingdom management, Wooing 101. It’ll be the best place for young knights this side of Charmingsburg.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less, Darling,” Dexter agreed, giving his sister a thumbs up. After all, it was fully her idea to have a Knighting school run out of Ever After. It was a good way of filling up any empty space, as well as opening up the school to new blood. Apple, as the Queen of Ever After, had the final say in the matter. And of course she was naturally enthusiastic and fully supportive of the idea. Ashlynn wondered what such a school would look like, but she trusted Darling to make it work.
“Now that Ashlynn is here,” Dexter began again. “We can discuss the major reason as to why this meeting was called. And that is the first Ever After lottery.”
Ashlynn exhaled deeply, trying to settle her racing heart. She had volunteered to help with this program nearly a year ago, when the council was first put together. Hunter had tried to convince her to back down after all that had happened, and with the news she just received, she almost regretted not. But it was so important to Dexter, as well as all of Ever After. This would be the first time any commoner had ever been allowed to attend Ever After High. People from one corner of their land to another were clambering for the chance of a lifetime.
And, if the program went well, they could take in more students and give more people the chance to do good in their various kingdoms. But this first run had to exceed expectations. Stewards had been sent out to every corner of Ever After months ago to collect tickets; there had been thousands of people in each village who had lined up to enter. It was hard to say how many for sure, but all of those names went into a magical cauldron and only four would come out. Four names; two girls and two boys.
“Ashlynn, Farrah, Daring and Hopper have generously agreed to act as student mentors for our first Lottery students this year,” Dexter said, giving them an encouraging albeit awkward grin. “Hopper and Daring weren’t able to make this meeting, but how are you both feeling about it?”
“I’m curious to see what happens,” Farrah replied, turning to Ashlynn. “Ash?”
“A bit nervous, I suppose. I mean, anyone could get picked out of several thousands of names.”
“A risk we all agreed to take,” Apple noted sweetly from her embellished chair. She looked lovely in her crown and royal fur, a dwarf taking notes for her to go over again later with the royal council back at the White Castle. “I still think this is a simply fairest idea. With no Storybook of Legends to bring us new students, how will we fill the halls?”
“Exactly, your majesty,” Dexter agreed, pointing to Raven again. “Raven?”
“On it.” With a snap of the girls fingers, a crystal cauldron appeared on a table in the center of the office. It was streaming from its heart, faintly glowing as though containing a small fire. “This cauldron contains every name that was entered in the lottery over the last few months. We agreed on four names, right Dex?”
“Yep. Two boys and two girls; enough for the mentors handle by themselves. You two remember what we discussed when we decided to hold a lottery, right?”
“We do,” Farrah replied softly. “We are to guide our students, but not interfere with their lives outside of Ever After.”
“We can’t be showing favoritism,” Dex insisted. “Especially if we do this again next year with a bigger class.”
“Lottery students are bound to come from many different backgrounds,” Raven agreed. “They aren’t royalty; anyone was allowed to enter, meaning a lot of different things might happen. But we can’t treat any student unequally, no matter where they’ve come from.”
Dexter adjusted his glasses again and leaned over his desk. “Can you both handle that?”
Farrah and Ashlynn nodded, giving each other a somewhat nervous glance. It would be an entire year with these four students, and it was impossible to say if they’d get along or how well they’d do at Ever After. They certainly had a lot of work ahead of them, though Ashlynn thought a year of distraction was exactly what she needed.
“The cauldron will pick names for us at random; Raven enchanted it herself. If you ladies will step up, let’s get this show on the road.”
Ashlynn gulped down a breath, though it felt more like she was swallowing a rock. Farrah didn’t seem much more at ease than her, wings nervously beating at her shoulders. Raven met them at the cauldron with a smile.
“Ready?”
They nodded again, Farrah grabbing onto Ashlynn’s hand and giving it a squeeze. Their companion turned to her creation, knocking against a crystal edge with her knuckle. The room darkened, and with a bright phoomph of pale blue light and a flicker of fire, a piece of paper was spit from the pot. Farrah bravely reached out and snatched it, pulling the torn ticket stub closer to her.
“Nasir Eucrates,” she read, flipping the ticket over. “Look, there’s directions on the back.”
“Each ticket will tell you where to find your lottery student,” Raven explained. “Hopper and Daring agreed to go fetch the boys. You and Ashlynn will fetch the girls.”
Farrah nodded her understanding, watching in silence as Raven tapped the cauldron and another ticket flew out. Ashlynn took this one, smoothing the torn edges with her thumb.
“Ling Young.” She flipped the paper over. “Giantville.”
“We’ll definitely be sending Daring to do that pickup,” Dexter muttered softly, Darling giving a hum of agreement beside him. With another tap, the third ticket emerged.
“Marie Shelley,” Farrah read. “She’s from your village, Raven.”
“Good, she can get a bit of sunshine while she’s here,” Raven scoffed, tapping the cauldron for the fourth and final ticket. Unlike the last three times though, the magic didn’t respond. Raven tried again, her brow rising in confusion.
“What’s wrong, Raven?” Apple asked, leaning forward in her seat. “We can’t have possibly run out of names.”
“I’m not sure.”
While Raven tapped and tapped the crystal unhappily, Ashlynn couldn’t help but admire it. The cauldron looked hand carved, almost as though it had been made from ice mined at the top of the world. She could see her own distorted reflection in it, warped against its many flat edges that broke apart its glowing blue light. Without really thinking, she reached out her hand, curious if the cauldron was as cold as it looked. But as her fingertip brushed the perfectly smooth surface, a startled yelp left her throat. The shine of the glass shifted from pale turquoise to gold, a spark burning across Ashlynn’s skin as she rapidly pulled her hand back in surprise.
“Ash!” Farrah immediately took hold of her hand, wings fluttering hard enough to keep her feet ever so slightly off the ground. “What happened? Did it burn you?”
“N—no. I just got startled; I promise I’m fine.”
“That’s not supposed to happen,” Raven claimed in utter bafflement, taking a step back from the cauldron as it shone the same color as sunlight. It was bright enough that the room had to shield their eyes, and with a flicker and a phoomph of sparks, a paper was spat out. It floated down like a feather, still glowing gold around its edges as Ash caught it midair. The small stub still shone with magic, as though it were etched into the ink itself. Ashlynn could feel its strange heat in her gut as she ran her thumb across the name.
“Royelle Hammerstein.” She flipped the ticket. “Book End.”
As quickly as the strange anomaly began, it was over. The light faded back into its peaceful blue glow, and Raven hummed and shook her head in confusion as she waved the artifact away with her hand. Muttering under her breath about what possibly went wrong, Ashlynn didn’t realize she’d been completely frozen until Farrah’s hand brushed against her shoulder.
“Ash? Are you sure you’re ok?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just not really used to magic, I guess.” Flexing her hand and shaking it free of the static, she folded the ticket into her palms and returned to her seat. Farrah didn’t come with her, going to Dexter’s desk instead.
“Headmaster? I was curious if you’d had a moment for my small request?”
“I looked over the paperwork and everything is in order,” Dexter nodded, though he adjusted his glasses and frowned. “But isn’t Faelynn a bit young to be attending this year? She’ll be the youngest in her class.”
“I know, but mother is at her wits end. My sister is…” Farrah waved her hand, as though finding the right words. “In need of some structure. And mother thought it would be better for her to attend this year, instead of next like we planned.”
“As long as you’re sure, I have no problems with a last minute addition to the roster.” Dexter picked up a big red stamp, slamming it down onto some documents.
“I hope you don’t mind my asking, headmaster. But my mother asked me to keep a close eye on Faelynn while she’s here. Her powers can be a bit haywire and not everyone knows how to clean up what comes out of pixie magic. I was wondering if she could dorm in our apartment.”
“Your apartment?” Dexter’s brows lifted. “You mean with the lottery students?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Three to a room is a bit tight…?”
“The lottery students have the rooms in the east tower,” Raven noted from where she was shuffling papers. “Those are slightly bigger than the regular ones. Three to a room wouldn’t be too bad.”
“Ashlynn, are you ok with an extra head to keep an eye on?”
Ashlynn glanced up from where she’d been fiddling with her things, trying to get them reorganized. “What?”
“Farrah is asking for her sister to dorm with the lottery girls.”
“Oh, yes, of course. That’s no trouble.”
“Alrighty then. Approved.” Dexter looked around the room curiously. “If that’s all for today, I think this meeting is adjourned, and the official last before school starts. Ashlynn, Farrah, don’t forget, you need to pick up your students and have them back here in time for the first day of term. I’ll give Hopper and Daring the same instructions for the boys.”
Agreeing quietly, Ashlynn stood with everyone else to exchange hugs and goodbyes. She bowed respectfully as the Queens of Ever After took their leave, followed by the Headmaster and his wife. This left only Farrah and Ashlynn in the office. They said nothing for a while, just listening to the others chatting as they descended the stairs towards the hall. Only when they were for sure gone did Farrah close the door with a wave of her wand, giving them some privacy.
“Ash?” Ashlynn stared holes into her knees, trying not to let her lip wobble. Farrah seemed to realize this, placing a hand on her knee. “Ash, what happened?”
“I—I just…” Ashlynn rubbed the lottery ticket between her fingers again, fighting her urge to crumble it. “It was bad news, Farrah.”
“Bad news? What do you mean?”
“I lost it.” Ashlynn inhaled and exhaled deeply, trying to keep back the flood of tears which had been threatening to escape since the meeting started. “I— I lost our baby.”
Farrah’s entire body crumbled. “Oh Ashlynn. I’m so sorry.”
“I don’t know what I did wrong!”
“You didn’t do anything wrong. Not a single thing.” Ashlynn let Farrah pull her into a hug, squeezing her tight as she cried. “Why did you come today? You should be at home with Hunter. We’d have understood.”
“No.” Ashlynn pushed away, hurriedly wiping her eyes, only to accept a handkerchief which Farrah summoned and passed over. “I have responsibilities.”
“Ash…”
“I promised I’d do this for Dexter. He was so excited about it; we all were. I just…” Ashlynn rested a hand against her flat stomach. She hadn’t even begun to show yet. No one else knew. They were going to make an announcement after school started. “I have to do this, Farrah.”
“You don’t have to do anything,” the fairy complained with a weak headshake. “Ash, this was so important to you. You should take some time to grieve.”
“I’d rather do something more productive.” Ashlynn lifted the ticket in her hand, giving it a shake. “This is what I need. A distraction.”
Farrah’s brows furrowed. “Ashlynn, are you sure about this? I mean…you just…you heard what Dexter said about interfering. Who knows where these students will be coming from.”
“I can handle it,” Ash insisted, a bit ruffled at the thought that she couldn’t. Farrah waved her hands, perhaps sensing her offense.
“That’s not what I meant. You have a big heart, Ashlynn. The biggest I’ve ever seen. You care, and I know you’ll look out for these kids with everything that you are. But that also worries me.”
“Worries you how?”
“Will you be able to stay just a mentor?”
“Of course I can be a mentor, don’t be silly.” Ashlynn wiped her eyes again, shaking out her strawberry blonde curls with a determined huff. “These students have a once in a lifetime opportunity, and it’s our job to make it the best experience ever. And I plan to do just that.”