#fromraven

Shopping for the perfect Thronecoming outfit isn't easy. None of the boutiques at the village of Book End had anything that appealed to my inner Rebel. To me, nothing says "Thronecoming Queen" like a spellbinding collar. So for the first time ever, I designed my own fashion accessory piece, with a little help from Ashlynn and Lizzie. My custom-made dragon scale queen collar is encrusted with magic jewels to give it extra shimmer when I'm on the dance floor.

Ugh! Spelless in Seapple is everything I can't stand about movies, especially romantic charmedies. It's so unrealistic!

First of all, am I supposed to believe that a sweet (but hopeless) prince falls in love with a girl from the wrong side of the Dark Forest, and they live Happily Ever After?

Then there are the actors. Charming Tutan is the newest, hottest leading man in movies. He can do it all - action, charmedy, romance. He's the type of guy that princesses swoon for. So do the filmmakers really think that you throw a pair of glasses on him and it instantly makes him a klutz around girls? And Raven McAbracadabrams? She's spellbinding! Just because her hair is pulled back in a ponytail, she's the ugly girl in this world? What-ever-after! There's no truth in this art!

I arrived at the library, and there was Maddie hexstatically bouncing. She was going on and on about something that I needed to see, but nobody could find. Maddie sometimes slips into this weird way of talking. She guided me through the library to a secret door she found. Maddie knocked a playful rhythm, and with a FLASH! we were suddenly surrounded by a ring of ancient, dusty books.

"Maddie... where are we?" Her response was typically calm, "He calls it the Vault of Lost Tales."

"Who is 'he'?"

"The Master Librarian, Giles Grimm. I think he's the Headmaster's brother. He has something important to tell you," Maddie sang, "But he only speaks Riddlish."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Riddlish, the riddle language of Wonderland, my home. The Librarian's not-home," Like I said, Maddie can have this weird way of talking.

"Oh look, there he is."

Buried under piles of books was the most grizzled old man I ever saw in my life. His eyes darted back and forth across the pages of a large tome. "Flipping flapjacks ripping rust! Cutting corners dawn to dust!"*

*Translated from Riddlish by Madeline Hatter: "I'm Frustrated! How many books do I need to read?"

From there began the oddest conversation in history. Maddie and the Master Librarian rhymed about rabbit's feet, tapping toes, and so much more head-spinning nonsense. I had no idea what was going on when the Librarian pointed at me and said,

"On a wing with a rose, on a chair if it chose, with a puppy and pig in its pocket."

Maddie twirled me around,

"Raven! A puppy and pig in its pocket! A puppy and pig in its pocket!"

"Maddie, I don't understand!"

"Oh sorry! I forgot you don't speak Riddlish."

Maddie explained the story that would change me forever. According to the Librarian, if I pledge to create my own Happily Ever After I will be free to write my own story.

Could it be true? My entire life I thought I had to be the Evil Queen. Did I dare to hope to discover what I want to be? We've been told we have to follow our destinies, no matter what. If I flipped the script, what would happen? And what would people think? All it takes is one person to curse everyone else's destinies.

My advisor Baba Yaga's office is really hard to get into. It has chicken legs, and is usually running. You first have to find her office, then chase it, and then find a way to jump to the steps. For some reason, she doesn't find it strange. Exhausted, I knocked on her door. "Do come in, Ms. Queen." Madam Yaga handed me my schedule and, asked if I had any questions. General Villiany, Home Evilnomics, Magicology, History of Evil Spells, and Witchness Management. Ugh! "Don't I have any choice in what classes I want to take?" The words just slipped out.

She looked hard at me for what felt like forever. "You know perfectly well it is school policy to take the classes best suited for your destiny," she finally broke her stare, "However, you may choose one class of your own, Ms. Queen."

I didn’t need to think twice. "Muse-ic." It's traditionally a class for only princesses, but singing always set me free.

She thought for another long, awkward, silent moment. "I will inform Professor Pied Piper immediately. I expect no more talk of choice. We are clear?" I nodded. "Now, go to the library to receive your hextbooks."

The thought of not being the Evil Queen kept me up all night. The more I thought about it, I felt mother-goosebumps on the back of my neck. It's the way of fairytales to follow in your parent's fabled footsteps, but I truthfully never wanted to be a bad guy. I always wanted to make the world happier.

When I was a little girl, I would cast spells to make flowers burst into butterflies! Then one day my magic just didn't work right, and instead the flowers would burst into flames.

Ever since then, my magic backfires whenever I use it for good. Like the time I tried to rescue the neighbor's cat from a tree. Instead of gently easing it down, the tree flung the cat across the neighborhood. I thought I was in trouble, but my mom beamed with pride. She said "black magic" was expected from me, and rewarded me with a shopping trip for new spiked black shoes and a coat of infinite darkness. Even though I loved my new outfit, I felt horrible for what I did. In fact, the only times I did get in trouble was when I was nice.

When the tour ended, and I finally got rid of Mocky and Rugsy I walked to my dorm room and saw the names "Raven Queen" and "Madeline Hatter" on the door. I couldn't believe my eyes! Maddie was my roommate! She's fun, funny and totally nonjudgmental. She doesn't care if I'm supposed to be the Evil Queen, the White Queen, or the queen bee!

I opened the door, and Maddie threw her arms around me and handed me a huge cup of tea—just what I needed to make me feel better! We chatted about our tours. Maddie always knew I hated being evil, even when mom rewarded me for being bad. She wanted to cheer me up. That's the magic of Maddie. We played "If I Didn't", a wonderlandiful rhyming game I just love. I can imagine what I would do if life was different. It was my turn, "If I didn't sleep in a bed..."

"I would nap in warm bread!" Maddie fell over laughing at her answer. It was her turn, "Okay.. okay... If I didn't have to be the Evil Queen..." I was stunned. If I didn't have to be the Evil Queen, what would I be? Yeah my destiny is a curse, but I never even thought about being anything else. It's not like I had a choice, right? "I don't know."

They split us into story groups for our yearly tour. The "Royals" were escorted to their damsel-in-distress tower. Maddie skipped to Professor Rumpelstiltskin's group of quirky characters, no doubt to learn wicked awesome things like riddles and potions. I was grouped with the Wonderland Princess Lizzie Hearts and other "villains", including a goblin and ogre named Mocky and Rugsy, who stared at me like I was a famous spellebrity. Royally uncomfortable! Our scary, hairy professor Mr. Badwolf snarled, "You will follow me."

He took us down to the dank, musky confines of the cauldron room, where we would learn the toil and trouble of poison making. I heard the goblin and ogre whispering. They were still staring at me! Throughout the tour, they would not stop eyeballing me. By the time we got down to the deepest dungeon, I lost it.

"STOP STARING AT ME!"

The goblin gleefully clapped. "Isn't her fury magnificent, Rugsy?" Rugsy bellowed his thoughts, "FURY!"