A/n: AU of Faybelle/Raven, no relation to any of my other fics even though there are some elements that may or may not seem similar or reference other fics, references to Dragon Games… only with a twist. Basically it's the same line as the movie, except Faybelle and her mother manage to outsmart the Evil Queen, and Apple gets poisoned, (for real poisoned), by Faybelle long before Apple reaches Raven who is hiding out in the woods with the pixies. Really this is just for my surprising number of Faybelle/Raven fans as well as those who like angst.

And my head-cannon version of Faybelle does clash with the cannon a fair bit… so expect a variation in that before you read. Just a warning.

XXX

Raven sometimes wondered whether or not she had traded one metaphorical cage for another. She had wanted to distance herself from her mother and the fairytales as much as she could, and now that she was here she was certainly free of that danger.

However if certain events had not transpired Raven was sure that she could've freed herself from the fairytales all on her own and it wasn't like she had ran to this fate with open arm exactly. She had just wanted- no, she needed to ensure that her mother could not harm any more people ever again if she had ever been let loose.

And it wasn't like Raven was locked up tight in her new cage, no, that had been the old cage where she had to pick the locks with her rebellion against tradition, here in her new cage the door was not locked, in fact Raven was quite certain that the door was hanging wide open.

But the question that was bothering Raven the most was… why she was staying in her new cage so willingly?

It was a comfortable cage, and it wasn't like Raven was unhappy here… it was just that she was… confused as to why she was so reluctant to go. She should be going shouldn't she? It was what everyone here; the ones who were sheltering her in this cage were expecting right? It was all just… temporary. It was supposed to be temporary but…

She could not bring herself to leave.

The witch curled up further in on herself on the wide balcony's railing, the clammy sheen of sweat covering the underside of her feet sticking to the polished black rock as she hugged her legs closer to her body, the girl staring out into the distant desert with a troubled furrow in her eyes and brows.

"If you keep that up my cousin Moss is going to think that your suicidal as well as depressed from certain events that "would leave any sane person positively traumatized", his words not mine." A dry voice snorted from the doorway.

"There's a big pool of water right beneath me." Raven pointed down to the decorative outdoor pool as she spoke. "And I've been underwater fishing in my homeland since I was a tiny witchling. I hardly see how this can be considered suicidal."

"Moss likes to overreact. It's how he shows that he cares about people." Faybelle rolled her eyes as she steps forward and leans over Raven in what would normally be seen as a predatory manor but it is a testament to how Raven has been around long enough to catch that fondly exasperated slant of the fairy's eyebrows and mouth. Raven bats her eyes innocently, which causes Faybelle to fluster because she knows that she's been caught being all warm and sentimental… again.

"Did Harris drop off the paperwork mom said I needed to sign my name to?" Faybelle coughed, embarrassed and looking to change the subject. "Not that I'm looking forward to going through boring sanitation requests for how many dozen county territories who still need the ruling house to approve such mundane things instead of electing their own officials-"

"I already took care of them." Raven interrupted. "They're on your desk waiting for you to look over them."

"My signature is just as valid as yours remember?" Raven smirked cutely at Faybelle's wide-eyed stare. "I figured I might as well do more around here than just my obligatory spousal duties since I've been staying for so long."

It takes a moment for the shock to fade from the fairy's face. "Practicing for your eventual ascension to your father's throne and reigning over both of your home kingdoms? I can see how getting your feet wet in such a big territory as ours would help you with that." Faybelle hummed in understanding.

"Actually I was getting my feet wet so that I could better make a decision." Raven turned her attention back to the desert peeking over the distant horizon of the oasis.

Faybelle blinked in confusion. "…And that decision would be…?"

"Whether or not I want to stay here as your wife." Raven stated calmly, ignoring the way that Faybelle seemed to choke on air.

XXX

Many moons ago…

It had been an act of necessity; Raven knew that she could be forced into following her mother's footsteps in far too many ways than what she liked to think about, that the Rebellion could be easily disbanded given the right circumstances, and that her mother posed a threat too dangerous not to take precautions against.

Thronecomming had taught her this harsh lesson all too well and so that was why Raven had decided to take a chance, put everything out onto the table and hope for the best.

She made a deal with the Evil Fairy.

"So we are agreed." The woman intoned regally as she stared Raven down, the witch could practically feel her father fidget nervously behind her, Faybelle had stood beside her mother, seemingly far more interested in the architecture of the ancient ruins of what was once the original Evil Queen's palace. "That if the Evil Queen should be let out of her prison, or if you are forced against your will to enact the part of the Evil Queen, that we shall put a stop to it and in return you will do what is necessary to ensure that the Thorn Clan inherits all rights to the Evil Queen title as well as sacrifice your family name in thanks."

"Yes." Raven agreed, poking her finger with the tip of a ceremonial dagger and dripping her blood onto the charmed parchment lying upon the table between the two families. "I will take whatever steps necessary to ensure that my mother never succeeds in her plans and that the verbal name of Queen will perish in my family with the completion of this contract if it is ever necessary to act upon it. So is the will of the sacred way of the ancient laws."

It is then; after the witch speaks the final words of the contract that Faybelle finally turns her apathetic attention away from what is left of the ceiling. She says nothing but her curious gaze is so intensely penetrating that Raven can't help the involuntary shiver that runs down her spine.

"May I be permitted to ask you to clarify that it is just the Queen name that my daughter would have to give up?" Raven's father asks warily as the Evil Fairy gently rolls up and stows the signed parchment away inside a bone and metal tube (a highly traditional ceremonial object from the dessert fairy lands which meant that this meeting was being taken seriously) that has been slung over her shoulder.

"Of course." The Evil Fairy assured the bells decorating her wild elk-horned crown jingling softly as she inclined her head. "I can assure you that the family name and duties that you daughter will assume will be far more… suited for her."

The Good King relaxes and Raven knows that he will begin quietly making arrangements for her to gain his last name and ascend into the title of Good King after graduation as soon as they are done here.

Faybelle smirks; her expression is all teeth and feral eyes. "See you on Monday little Raven." The girl leers before she follows her mother out.

Everything after that goes back to normal (or as normal as things ever got at school) Faybelle never acknowledges that the contract for their marriage in the event of an emergency had been made and neither does Raven, and as time passes the witch slowly starts to hope that things may turn out for her and that there would be no need for a Thorn Clan intervention.

Much, much later Raven has no choice but to admit that such a concept was a pipe dream at best.

XXX

Faybelle knows that Raven is unaware that the witch had signed herself up to be betrothed to her (or one of her cousins if Faybelle protests against being wed enough, her mother cares far too much for her heir and daughter to force Faybelle into a marriage that she does not want), her mother knew it, hell half her closest extended family knew it by the time the news made it's rounds around the relative-gossip lines. A lone human parent raised Raven, in a human kingdom for most of her life for ancestor's sake! It was clearly obvious with the way the witch went around acting as if the title of Evil Queen was the worst thing ever conceived in the universe.

And okay, yeah sure, the current Evil Queen did a lot to muck up the character image, and it didn't help that Apple White was so… uncharacteristically unsympathetic when it came to the weight of the dishonor that was laid upon Raven's shoulders (secretly Faybelle conceded that she'd rebel too, on a small personal scale, if Apple was her princess, just to spite the annoying girl and make her fret and worry until one day after graduation Faybelle poisons the girl out of the blue with any stinking piece of fruit that was not an apple, because family honor meant everything and perfect princesses like Apple White were just asking for it in Faybelle's opinion), but to go as far as to start a full scale rebellion? Ludicrous!

There was a great deal of honor that came from being a fairytale villain, the position held prestige and respect amongst many great nations and worlds, sure, a majority of the fairytales had strictly human heroes and damsels that usually won out against the big bad witch, fairy, or non-human (she couldn't be certain if this went for all fairytales though there was just too many for her to really keep up, she supposed that there was one or two that was different than the dreary norm), but still one had to consider the history behind everything, back when the stories were being made everyone was at war, for villain ancestry the meaner you were and the more powerful you were the more weight you carried in the world, the more respect you got from other countries, hex it was still true Lizzie Hearts was respected by practically everybody and she was a villain.

Faybelle's mother blamed certain persons that came out of her generation that had driven the honor of villains to such a sorry state (and it wasn't just the evil Queen's doing apparently, much to Faybelle's surprise), time was that villains had more respect amongst their hero and damsel counterparts, now… well look at Ginger, everyone knew that she only had one known true cannibal in the family centuries ago and that none of the Crumb descendants were in danger of getting devoured, and yet they still fled like headless chickens!

The reputation of the villain community was in a sorry state, Faybelle would admit, but that did not mean that the answer was to rebel against fairytales altogether! It would take time and patience but as long as nobody tries conquering everything like a barbaric idiot, like how the current Evil Queen ran things (who was far too two-dimensionally clichéd in the dastardly villain department according to her mother) then they'd get their respect and reputation back. Raven, Ginger, and all the rest of the Rebels were cowards as far as Faybelle could see, fairytales for villains could be twisted, rules bent, their predecessors were able to make good of bad endings by craftily turning it to their advantage, it wasn't like they were damsels who did not have a choice in who they ended up with at the end of things, once the deed was done they didn't have to stick around, villains could just take off and do whatever the hell they damn wanted! Most celebrated being free at last from the restrictive rules of the Ever After kingdom and it's school.

Often these celebrations held the consequence of surprise pregnancies but hey, without such traditions for fairy and witch villains Faybelle wouldn't be here, Faybelle's own mother actually had no clue as to who Faybelle's father was and for all the older woman knew Kitty could very well be Faybelle's half-sister.

Raven just didn't understand just how good she had it! Villains had way more freedoms than other characters did, they held a power that held more weight than the good character's, there was an honor in their titles that stemmed farther back than the fairytales themselves with a clear known history of being the strongest of the strong during the times of epic wars, and best of all Raven didn't have to work for it to be known as a great villain in the making! Faybelle once witnessed the witch sneeze and a small aura of purple jumped out of her hair for barely a second and that had been more than enough to leave everyone scrambling for cover!

Faybelle on the other hand had to work at keeping her image and respect up, the fairy blamed it all on Briar's uppity little friends. While her princess (after much exhausted instruction) understood that while Faybelle was fond of Briar, she was not any princess's villainous pet.

Briar understood this, Briar's friends, the same people that had no troubles fearing Raven-freaking Queen like a respectable villain, however did not understand at all and continuously either treated Faybelle as an amusing circus attraction, forgot their proper place in regarding her, or just patted her on the head and said that she was simply misunderstood.

No respect what-so-ever. She didn't even like Briar's friends so why they never left her be and treated her like she was beneath them for daring to refuse to join their dreary little gossip groups and shopping sprees that never failed to reduce her to catatonic boredom was beyond her. Briar always tried to assure that they meant no disrespect for not considering that she wasn't into the same stuff as they were and that they did respect her as a villain but it never escaped Faybelle's attention that they never extended the same treatment to Raven, who was a lot closer to the lot of them than she was.

Which was why it was so frustrating that Raven had decided to rebel; Raven could be the example villain that the community needed to gain back it's respect, she didn't have to work that hard at it, just ramp up the bewitching charm, cool down the need to be quite so approachable, denounce her own mother as a weak imitation of a true Evil Queen, and over the span of several years it could work in her and the rest of their favors.

So big whoop, who cared about who had a predecessor that was all mean and evil? That's how everything in the world as they knew it started in the first place! The courageous thing to do was not to rebel and run away, the best thing to do was to build the image back up and redefine the old expectations and the honor codes.

Faybelle prayed that she'd never have to make good on the contract, the only thing the witch had going for her was her looks and her cooking (hey Faybelle may have high standards but she wasn't dead, she had enough of a healthy disposition to appreciate the important stuff!), Raven would make a lousy wife and would probably fight tooth and nail to either get out of the marriage once she found out about it or divorce at the soonest available opportunity. As things were usually done nowadays with fairy contracts in regards to this nature, and Faybelle knew, just knew, that she'd be glad to be rid of the girl just as much as Raven would be glad to be rid of her.

Years later Faybelle finds that she doesn't mind admitting that she was glad to have been so wrong.

XXX

More recent moons…

Her mother grinned toothily when Faybelle dumbly admitted the next day that Raven had been considering staying with them, perhaps indefinitely.

Faybelle was nearly blown away the day that her mother showed that she was rather fond of Raven, even more so when her mother started to drop hints for Faybelle to try to make her marriage to the witch a bit more permanent.

Faybelle didn't know what had gotten into the woman recently, why someone who had seen the Queen family as the number one enemy of the Thorn Clan to suddenly take a shine to the heir of said family was just beyond Faybelle, and she told her mother this.

The Evil Fairy cackled at her daughter, saying that anybody who not only betrayed the Evil Queen to such a degree but also helped in taking her out was absolved of any enemy declaration.

Faybelle could see how that made sense, but why her mother wanted to encourage keeping Raven around now that her usefulness to them was over confused her.

At that the Evil Fairy reminded her daughter of the current dire situation that remained of the villain community's reputation amongst other fairytales and the issues that came with it.

Raven was a valuable resource to them, as the Rebel leader people respected so much she held much weight, even more so now that she sacrificed her "freedom" in order to secure the safety of her friends and former school. She was the key to ensure that they got some respect back and stood on equal ground with the protagonist kingdoms, especially with the Ever After kingdom whose queen had been shouting out her propaganda that she was the greatest ruler of the fairytale lands to ever grace the worlds and had been using the Evil Queen as an example of how fair rulers of proper breeding were always better than the villains and non-royalty.

Faybelle supposed that was a smart move on their end… and over the past several weeks the fairy admitted to herself that she was beginning to… like Raven. Now that the fairytales and everything was all behind them Raven was… rather bearable, and the witch's grasp on fairy laws and traditional concepts were pretty astute despite Faybelle's early assumptions so there was wiggle room to move with the witch so that they could make all of this work...

However there was a concern that Faybelle had yet to voice but knew she'd have to address with her bride sooner than later, even though it dealt with sensitive subjects that someone who was not a gruff villain would be better equipped to do the talking.

But still Raven was obviously grieving over the whole situation that led her here; Faybelle suspected that the fate of the girl's mother, moving away from school indefinitely, and being forced to become married to Faybelle were all things that Raven could get over easily and adapt to with grace.

However the idiocy and the betrayal of nearly the whole school plus the gross betrayal of Apple White specifically, Faybelle knew would haunt the witch perhaps for the rest of her days.

And then there was the whole issue of Raven forgiving Faybelle.

XXX

Many moons ago at the incident regarding the Dagon Games…

Faybelle sighs irritably; she hates it when she has to admit that she was wrong…

But this time she's gotta side with Raven, perhaps rebellion was the only option she had in all of this.

The Evil Queen had gotten out, actually escaped prison, and Snow White, the queen and ruler who was supposed to protect them from such criminals and ensure that said criminals never saw the light of day again pardoned the moth-fucking-Evil Queen and all for what? A chance to rekindle and old rivalry, just like it had been in the good old days, to have a chance at trying to recreate the past and treating the real threat the Evil Queen posed as if it was all just a game!

The bitch! And Apple, the perfect princess whom everybody looked up to was agreeing with this whole situation!

Was this the lunacy that Raven had to deal with all the time? No wonder she wanted nothing to do with fairytales!

It did not take long, as predicted, for everything to go to hell in a hand basket.

It was a good thing that Faybelle's mother had been right about the evil Queen being narcissistic and socially inept, the woman had bought Faybelle's fangirl act hook line and sinker and allowed the fairy to become a minion. Faybelle knew from her mother's teachings that the best way to defeat your enemy was to make them underestimate you, make it seem as though you are harmless but useful, allowing you to get close enough to take them down before they even realized what was going on.

And so far it was working… despite the carnage that was transpiring around her.

The dragon games arena went up in flames (obviously not goody-two-shoes Raven's doing but apparently the people at school were just too dense to see it), the Evil Queen had taken over the school as it's new Headmistress (honestly, this was a surprise to people?), the school's leading staff were now out of commission (Faybelle had been the one to help in transforming said staff into easily managed and contained tiny animals and locking the lot of them into glass terrariums), Apple was blissfully clueless (and therefore useless), And Raven (in an unexpected show of desperation) was going to run as far away from it all as possible.

What a mess.

At least she was able to call home, her mother and a sizable tactical force from the homelands was preparing for an epic fight and were waiting along the outer fringes of the forest that bordered the village outside of the campus for the most opportune time to strike. Added to this, Faybelle had discretely successfully set up several inconspicuous traps and poisoned foods under the Evil Queen's nose for the woman to stumble across eventually, all was ready for the attack.

Save for the matter of Raven planning on running away.

Faybelle kicked herself for needing to try to catch up to Raven before she left and explain things, it was obvious that Raven had bought Faybelle's act just as well as her mother had and since the girl still was clueless about the full ramifications of villain honor and the importance of that blasted contract she didn't know that staying around for the Thorn Clan to collect her was in her best interests as well as Faybelle's.

But of course not everything in the universe could go by plan, it was just so freaking typical that Faybelle had to have missed Raven (and a surprising number of others… rather smart others with actual self-preservation instincts) making their escape.

So she called her mother and hoped that the woman's time as the Evil Fairy paid off because Faybelle was certainly at a loss as to how to proceed.

Plan B was risky, and there was a high probability of casualties if things went wrong, but there was a chance that there would be far less of a body count now than before. If Faybelle did this right she could twist this so that the Evil Queen was more concerned about finding Raven than she was about a few extra "students" and "plants" appearing around her stolen domain unannounced (fairy glamour and camouflage magic was the best there was after all).

And Faybelle knew for a fact that Raven still cared about Apple, for anybody to have to put up with the princess's false views on what real villainy was they had to care a great deal, and that she'd come running if the blonde was in trouble. If Raven believed that the Evil Queen would do anything harmful to Apple then she'd come to save her for sure.

Perhaps there might be an opportunity in this as well, maybe… Faybelle could just cut the wait to graduation and poison Apple now, when it was all said and done Faybelle could prove that she was the one who fulfilled the story and by then she'd be married to Raven long enough to make the title of Evil Queen legally hers.

Now she just needed to find a way to get the message to Raven so that the witch could be lured back…

XXX

Raven didn't know what to think as she collapsed to the ground beside Nevermore in the pixie hideout that they had stopped to rest in.

She should have known better than to simply trust that Faybelle could be trustworthy enough to do the right thing when it came to anything! She had been her last hope in stopping her mother if something like this ever did happen! And yet here she was getting all cozy with her family's supposed nemesis and doing her mother's bidding with a smile on her face!

Thorn Clan family honor her foot, the fairy's betrayal of their contract hurt almost as badly as when Apple…

As when Apple… let her mother free, defended to horrible woman and admitted to letting the Evil Queen free with a big smile of her perfect blushing face…

Maddie walked up and placed a hand on Raven's shoulder, the contact of kind human touch was enough to ground Raven enough to take control over the tears that had been threatening to spill over.

In the background the witch could hear the comings and goings of the native pixies and of the others who were making preparations to settle in for the night, she focuses on that and her breathing, she can hear the three pixies who led them here chittering worriedly around her but Holly kindly takes them to the side and explains why the Evil Queen's presence has hit Raven harder than anybody else at school.

Raven breathes evenly when she hears sounds of understanding and thoughtfulness from their hosts, the witch bravely peeks up to see Holly and the others looking at her gently.

"They say that they trust that you won't hurt them and that they sympathize with how difficult this must be for you." Holly translates.

Raven lets out a wet huff. "Thank you." She sniffles weakly.

The touching moment is broken when Maddie's phone rang.

"Oopsies I forgot to turn this off- oh… Raven it's… you have to see this." Maddie's tone sobered considerably, causing her classmates and best friend to become slightly alarmed.

Raven felt as though she was unable to breathe as she read the message.

"I have to go save Apple." The witch leaped to her feet, stumbling slightly in her rush to get back onto Nevermore. "That was Faybelle announcing to everyone on a mass hext that the Evil Queen has revealed her true intensions to conquer Ever After and is about to sentence Apple and her mother to their deaths!"

XXX

Faybelle took a deep, calming breath; The Evil Queen was buying her deception, the woman did not know of the Thorn Clan's plan to take the woman out once and for all.

…She did buy Faybelle's act didn't she? Had Faybelle perhaps acted a little too syrupy? Kissed ass a little bit too eagerly? Damn these nerves!

Well… she was going to find out, it had been bad luck that the Evil Queen had decided to visit Apple just when Faybelle had been planning on using the spare poisoned apples that she had on hand (the rest of the batch was waiting patiently in the Evil Queen's upcoming meal as a backup, backup plan- plan J to be precise- incase all other attempts on the Evil Queen failed) and was going to see if she could quietly get Apple White to eat one thus ensuring that Faybelle would be the one to have completed the Evil Queen's role in Raven's stead, just as the contract promised would be her right to do while also ensuring that Apple could not fight her on the whole deal.

She still had a chance… as long as Raven did not show up too early and mess this up. Her mother, the Evil Fairy could take care of the Evil Queen, now was the time to worry about wrapping up things on her and Raven's end.

It had to work, for her honor it just had to.

XXX

Apple nearly cried out in relief when she spied a cloaked Raven sneaking past the dragon stables, not caring to take note of the odd scheming expression on the witch's face as the princess ran up to her.

"Raven! Oh thank the ancestors I found you, I am so sorry about all of this! You were so right! Your mother has not changed. She wasn't the one to change at all, I have, and for the worse, I was so selfish for thinking that releasing her would change your mind! But I want to change for the better now, I swear!" Apple's words come out in a rush when she comes close enough to the other.

Raven blinks owlishly at the princess, a badly suppressed wince comes from the witch when Apple reaches for the other's free hand.

"I am sorry Raven." Apple's voice swells with emotions of sorrow and regret. "Can you ever forgive me?"

Raven takes a deep breath before nodding; a smile that is just a little bit too wide and feral overtakes the witch's face.

"Good." Apple sighs, before looking at the basket in Raven's unoccupied fist strangely. "What's the basket for?"

Raven nods her head to the woods and then to the basket a few times before shrugging slightly.

"Oh you need food before you go on your journey." Apple readily assumes as she takes a peek under the basket's lid. "Ooh you managed to swipe some pretty red apples! My favorite!" The princess squeals in delight. "I hope you don't mind… but can I take one? I haven't been able to eat very much today so…"

Raven huffs a snicker under her breath and nods again.

"Thank you Raven!" Apple cheered as she reached into the basket and took out a fruit.

"By the way, why are you being so silent?" The princess queries before she takes a dainty bite.

The earsplitting scream that slices through the air startles Apple so badly that she chokes a bit on her food when she swallows and coughs violently over the sudden lightheadedness when she turns around to see-

…Raven, utterly panicked and jumping off of Nevermore feet from the ground and running (well… mostly tripping but at a very fast pace) her way towards Apple as the Raven imposter begins running forward to meet the witch halfway.

The lightheadedness gets worse and it's difficult to stay upright now but Apple struggles to stay awake and see what's going on.

Apple makes a weak sound of distress as Raven, the real Raven, struggles in the imposter's grip, howling to be set free, the witch's desperate wails almost feel as though they are trying to bring down the sky itself with their force and volume.

That's when the imposter manages to turn Raven around and silence the witch by sealing their lips over her own, Apple sees a flash of blue magic which passes into Raven's body, the witch collapsing limply in the other's hold within seconds.

The last thing that Apple sees before she pitches to the side and the world turns dark is a pair of fairy wings and a head of black hair turning as white as sun-bleached bone.