#eah sparrow

Sparrow Hood × Daring Charming

Requested by @monstee-treet !

but the books describe a separate character. she appears in a key scene in The Unfairest of Them All when Apple is visiting home during Yester Day (a day when students have to interview graduated fairytale characters about their stories). right off the bat you can tell their relationship is a lot better than the one displayed in the show; they're a lot more affectionate with each other, and Apple clearly feels at ease around her mother. the main impression i get whenever i reread this scene (and believe me i have read it a lot) is that Snow seems like... a good mom. she doesn't act disappointed or accusatory toward Apple for Raven's refusal to sign. Apple to some extent considers it a personal failure that she didn't persuade Raven to sign; Snow doesn't express any sentiment of the sort. she gets straight to the heart of the matter, which is the problem of division between the Royals and Rebels and the chaos that will undoubtedly ensue (and already has, at this point in the book).

in fact, it's ironic that Snow doesn't address who's in the wrong in this matter, because that's exactly what Apple is focused on. she strongly believes that going off-script is pure evil, and she wants Snow to confirm that for her--which Snow doesn't do. because Snow is a leader, and she knows that pointing fingers is not going to solve a crisis. her advice to Apple is to focus on bringing people back together first, which is ultimately the key to Apple's character arc in this book.

Apple is frustrated by this conversation because Snow's advice seems useless to her: "Just keep smiling." that isn't a very concrete solution to any of the rampant problems she's facing right now; she leaves believing Snow doesn't understand the magnitude of these problems. i don't think that's fully the case, because Snow knew the Evil Queen and had to have witnessed some part of her rampage, which would have been extremely chaotic, but we don't have details on it so that's neither here nor there.

Snow's most important advice to Apple was the line she got cut off, which is "And when you look back, look deeper." based on the context and the conclusion of Apple's arc in this book, i can guess she meant: look at them for who they are, not for who you think they are. in other words, not for who the stories say they are--which is the lens through which Apple is used to judging the rest of the world. that's indeed how she changes and grows by the end of the book, because she learns to stop assigning the roles of "hero/villain/Royal/Rebel" to her peers, and instead think of them for the people they are underneath. Lizzie, a kind-hearted girl who loves to create; Daring, who's eager to help her if she just says the word; Sparrow, who prides himself on his thieving skills; and Kitty, who Apple knows would do anything for Maddie. she even gets Cerise and Duchess to work together.

as a kid i didn't really get the ending of this book; it felt like no one had really solved the destiny conflict. no one had managed to point out how the Royals were in the wrong or fixed everything that was awful about the Rebels' situations. but that would have been too simple, which is crazy for a book written for kids, but that's what makes it so good--instead of trying to eliminate the problem and wrap everything up in a neat little bow, which might have felt really good to read but probably would have fallen very flat, the story acknowledges the problem is bigger than that and people are more complicated than that. Apple is not the villain of the story; she's just a young girl trying to take responsibility (something Raven actually has trouble doing in comparison, which is another reason they balance each other out). Snow gave good advice.

i sort of went off on a tangent there, but to circle back to Snow--in the books her relationship with EQ is very obviously not the same as in the show, as we don't know if they were even in the same class. it's portrayed as something much closer to what the original dynamic of Snow White and her evil stepmother would have been. Snow does not condemn Raven for any of her actions; she even expresses her own doubt about the way Ever After works, about how "if there's no story, it rarely happens." Apple fixates on that statement as explaining why it's bad to go off-script, but what Snow actually seems to be implying is that the lack of freedom in that area is troubling. in a sense she almost seems sympathetic to Raven.

His full name is Sparrow Richard Hood. He hates his middle name.

He is technically royalty on his mother’s side, as she is a noblewoman. But it’s a very distant lineage.

He’d have been held back a few grades, but Headmaster Grimm had implemented the “No Tale Left Behind” Policy a few decades before Sparrow was enrolled to fast-track destinies.

They’re gossiping…

Sparrow loves girl talk, he lives for the gossip Duchess supplies him. At first he pretended like he didn’t care but eventually he stopped putting on a show and they’ve been gossiping daily since then.

oh that...that's sparchess in the big 25....no wayyy...

-----

🩵 Sparrow fell first. Daring fell harder.

🟢 Best Friends turned BFs

🩵 Chaotic Bisexual Sparrow (c'mon, People already pair him with Duchess. She didn't reciprocate the same feeling. BUT loved that her closest friend liked her. She is that diva) and internalized gay panic but calm outside Daring.

🟢 Sparrow is the one to kinda get Daring to kinda 'go rebellious' and step outta line! With minimal success BUT baby steps.

🩵 Triple Date with the siblings sometimes. [Raven and Dexter, Apple and Darling]

🟢 Able to make Daring flustered easily at school

🩵 Bros before Boyfriends.

🟢 Sparrow confessed first to Daring after he kept staring longer and longer at Daring. Claiming it was that 'prince' effect that Daring would swoon others with.

🩵 Sparrow calling Daring 'babe' 'handsome' and 'cutie' which easily makes Daring blush every time. The most Daring's done is 'pumpkin' 'love' 'Birdy'

🟢 Darling and Dexter play the important role of threatening sibling. Darling able to hold a sword and giving the speech of 'if you break my brothers heart. I will smite you like a dragon' and while Dexter can't fight. He tells Sparrow in a monotone, "I can easily pay any student to pay you a visit Sparrow".

🩵 Both are very nervous and worried if they're relationship ever reaches King and Queen Charming. Daring is terrified if that happens. Sparrow less so.

🟢 Sparrow is very dramatic to climbing up the dorm tower to Darings room just so he can chill with his Boyfriend. Daring chastises but loves it every time.

🩵 Daring confided to Holly first. IN a spur of the moment and needing to tell someone and then to his siblings later. While Sparrow told Duchess (obviously WHO kept that secret under her feathers. She is territorial if someone would hurt Sparrow).

🟢 Sparrow plans little dates in his treehouse for Daring. Sometimes his Merrymen will butt in and help him out and plan something OR play wingmen and be his loving little demon on his shoulder

🩵 Daring loves to spoil Sparrow with small gifts and small and expensive looking trinkets. Sparrow can't obviously afford anything like that but he makes up for it with another present that he poured a lot of care into. Even if its not up to Royal standards like others might think.

🟢 Both are aware of the class difference between them. Sparrow obviously knows he can't meet the class standards of a Royal like the Charming family but it still hurts a little when he thinks of getting Daring anything extravagant. Daring obviously worries about the difference from time to time

🩵 If either needs help in the relationship department. They'll go to Cupid first OR Daring will go to Hunter while Sparrow will go to Ashlynn since they are EAH's first destiny-crossed couple.

🟢 Kitty once saw them making out in the forest while she was catnapping.

🩵 They sneak quick kisses or small moments of affection to each other when noone is watching. Except for one kitty...

-----

Pre-going Public-

🩵 Daring keeps up the ladies-prince with the other girls at Ever After. Knowing he can't afford to lose that reputation. Sparrow knows this and always claims 'Babe its fine. I totally understand.' while Daring always feels bad every single time he has to act all cute with Apple or which other girl.

🟢 Since the Beast transformation in Epic Winter, he was turned down by Rosabella who wasn't looking for a relationship. Doing some self-digging, he asked himself some questions. Panicked internally and came to terms with it before realizing that he would have to keep his Destiny up

🩵 The only place in public they'll be safe is the Mad Hatter's tea shop.

-----

Post-going Public-

🟢 Apple was a bit upset at first. I mean obviously the girl who wanted each fairytale to not cross. Imagine True Hearts Day with Ashlynn and Hunter

🩵 Sparrow isn't afraid to get all PDA with him before they go to their respective classes or at Lunch.