To be born a fairytale princess is a blessing indeed, but hers is not the lazy, carefree life that many imagine. There are numerous, important decisions that a princess must make every day.

For example, how would she like to be awoken in the morning? Should she choose an enchanted alarm clock to sing and dance around her bedroom? Perhaps her parents could employ fairies to gently sprinkle waking dust on her cheeks. Maybe she’d prefer to have a household troll ring a gong or her MirrorPhone blare the latest hit song.

Duchess Swan, a fairytale princess proud and true, chose none of those options. Instead, she liked to be awoken by her favorite sound in the whole world.

Honk! Honk!

Lizzie: Don’t tell me it’s morning already.

Duchess opened her eyes. While the honking had come from the large nest next to her bed, the complaining had come from across the room. To her constant dismay, Duchess did not sleep alone. This was the girls’ dormitory at a very special school called Ever After High, and her roommate was Lizzie Hearts, daughter of the famously angry Queen of Hearts. Lizzie was not a morning person. Which is why she didn’t own an alarm clock.

Honk! Honk!

Lizzie: For the love of Wonderland!

Her voice was partially muffled by a pillow.

Lizzie: Off with the duck’s head!

Duck? Duchess frowned. Seriously?

Dutchess: Pirouette is not a duck. Pirouette is a trumpeter swan.

Lizzie: Duck, swan, pigeon… she’s loud.

Dutchess: Of course she’s loud. She’s named after a trumpet, not a flute.

Honk! Honk!

Y/N: Found it!

Dutchess screamed when you suddenly swung through their open window with a knife in hand. You landed in their room and pointed that knife at the swan with bloodshot eyes.

Y/N: I will cook you over an open fire, you accursed goose! Today will be the final time you wake me up!

Honk!

You lunged at it, but Lizzie had thrown Shuffle towards the swan, instead hitting you. You winced and started to stumble backwards before you fell right back out of the window.

Y/N: Ah!

Honk! Honk!

Duchess waved, to let Pirouette know that she hadn’t gone unnoticed. Then Duchess pushed back the lavender silk comforter and set her bare feet on the stone floor. It was the first day of the new school chapter, and she was looking forward to her new classes. Why? Because each class was another opportunity to get a perfect grade. As a member of the Royals, Duchess took her princess duties very seriously. One of those duties was to be the best student she could be.

But there was another truth, somewhat darker and simmering below her perfect surface. Duchess Swan was well aware that grades were something she could control, while her ill-fated destiny was not.

Tendrils of warm air wafted from the furnace vent, curling around her like a hug. She pointed her toes, then flexed, stretching the muscles. It was important to keep her feet limber, for she was a ballerina, and her feet were her instruments.

Honk! Honk!

Dutchess: Okay. Hold your feathers.

Duchess slid into her robe, then went to opened the window, but you had already done so. A gust of fresh morning air blew across her face. Pirouette flew outside, heading for the lush green meadow. A swan needs to stretch, too.

Just as Duchess tied the laces on her dress, the bedroom door flew open and two princesses and you barged in.

Dutchess: Ever heard of a little thing called knocking?

Ashlynn: Can we talk?

She yawned super-wide.

Ashlynn: It’s about your alarm clock.

The second princess, whose name was Apple White, daughter of the famously beautiful Snow White, also yawned.

Apple: Yes. Your goose alarm clock.

Dutchess: She’s not a goose.

Duchess sighed. These princesses really knew how to get under her wings.

Dutchess: She’s a swan.

Apple: Oh, that’s right. Sorry.

Y/N: It doesn't matter what it is. I'm about to make a swan stew if it wakes me up again.

The two princesses, having just rolled out of bed, looked unbelievably perfect. No bedhead, no sheet lines, no crusty sandman sand at the corners of their eyes. Apple was known as the Fairest One of All, and Ashlynn couldn’t be any lovelier, even if she tried.

You, however, looked worse for wear. You still had some bandages from helping Cupid over you cheek. Your hair was also a mess and it was clear that you literally just rolled out of bed. You also wore your sleep wear, an old t-shirt and some shorts, which was quite odd for Dutchess to see. She was used to seeing you looking more proper.

Ashlynn: Apple and I agree, as do the other princesses, that the honking sound that comes from your room every morning is starting to become a bit of a royal pain.

Royal pain? Duchess looked away for a brief moment so they wouldn’t see the twinge of hurt feelings.

Y/N: Not to mention that my room is on the corner of the boy's dormitory so I hear that bird every. Single. Morning!

Ashlynn: I’d be happy to lend you some of my songbirds.

Ashlynn whistled. Three tiny birds flew through the doorway and landed on her outstretched finger.

Ashlynn: It’s such a cheerful way to wake up.

Apple: Bird alarms aren’t always reliable. I’d be happy to connect you to my network of dwarves. They’ll send a wake-up call to your MirrorPhone.

Dutchess began to get a bit annoyed.

Dutchess: I don’t need your songbirds or dwarves.

Okay, she was more than a bit annoyed. Those girls were always acting as if they were better. They really ruffled her feathers! You, she had no real issue with. You usually left her alone unless someone else got you involved with the situation.

Ashlynn, Apple, and Lizzie were of royal heritage, the blood daughters of fairytale kings and queens. Being a Royal at Ever After High meant being part of the most popular and the most privileged group. Duchess was also a Royal, but she was different. Most Royals were destined to marry other Royals and rule kingdoms, living out their lives in comfort, health, and fortune. In other words, a big, fat Happily Ever After was waiting for most of them.

But Duchess did not have such a future, nor did she have a future as a dancer. Her destiny, as the daughter of the Swan Queen, was to turn into a swan and live out her days web-footed and feathered.

You can’t perform a graceful grand jeté with webbed feet!

But you were also a different kind of Royal. Your kingdom was gone. Destroyed. In ruins. Yet, you never acted like you were in higher standing than anyone else. She felt a kind of similarity with you and your doomed destiny just like she had hers.

But, to make matters worse, she had no Happily Ever After with a charming prince written into her story.

Although Duchess’s future did not seem fair, she’d accepted her circumstances. It was her duty to keep her story alive by fulfilling her destiny. She worked hard at her studies and her dancing. She did her best to make her family proud. But it drove her crazy that these girls had nothing more to worry about than being awoken by honking. It was just as Duchess often said: Birds of a feather flock together.

Lizzie popped her head out of the covers and glared at the intruders.

Lizzie: I order this meeting to be over. Now!

Y/N: Good morning to you too, Princess. But, I guess we should let you two get ready.

Dutchess: Sounds good to me. Even though I was so enjoying our little chat.

She forced a smile.

Dutchess: However, it’s time to get dressed for class. And you know what happens if you’re late.

Ashlynn: Oh my godmother, thanks for the reminder.

If she was even just one second late, her clothes would turn into rags. She picked up the hem of her nightgown and rushed out the door, her songbirds following.

Apple: Well, I’d better go, too. I hear my magic mirror calling. Charm you later!

Duchess’s smile collapsed the moment the princesses were gone.

Dutchess: Good riddance.

Lizzie: If my mother were here, she’d order their heads chopped off.

Then she burrowed back under the blankets.

Dutchess then turned to you. She crossed her arms.

Dutchess: Don't you have your classes to get to?

You shook your head.

Y/N: I have my first hour open this chapter. I think Milton doesn't know what to do with me anymore.

Dutchess: Well, can you leave? Don't you know that it's rude to be in a girl's room in the morning when she's trying to get ready?

You crossed your arms.

Y/N: And having an eagle that wakes up the entire dorm isn't?

Dutchess: She is a swan!

Y/N: A bird's a bird!

Dutchess suddenly grabbed you and pushed you out of the room. She then closed the door on your face, nearly hitting you.

Just as Duchess closed the bedroom door, Pirouette flew back in through the window. She landed at Duchess’s feet, then turned the corners of her beak into a smile. Duchess knelt and gave her a hug. The wonderful scent of wind clung to Pirouette’s white feathers.

Dutchess: Lucky girl. You don’t have to deal with know-it-all princesses or stubborn princes.

Y/N: I'm not a prince!

Dutchess turned to the door with an angry face.

Duchess filled a bowl with swan kibble, a mixture of breadcrumbs and grains, and set it on the floor. Pirouette began eating her breakfast. This was the calmest time of the day for Duchess, before the flurry of classes and activities, while Lizzie snored peacefully. And Duchess usually began each day by writing in her journal.

She sat at her desk and opened the top drawer. There was no need to hide the golden book, because it was enchanted with a security spell. She pressed her fingers against the cover. A click sounded. This was the only place where she shared her truest of feelings, her darkest of secrets.

After turning to a blank page, she dipped her quill into ink and began to write. But one thought filled her mind. One thought that never seemed to go away. And so she wrote: I wish I had a Happily Ever After like Ashlynn’s and Apple’s.

Then Duchess Swan looked out the window and sighed. Being a perfect princess meant she had to accept her destiny, even if that destiny was covered in feathers.
---------------
Soon after all the various alarm clocks had chimed, buzzed, tweeted, and chirped, the class lists for the new chapter were delivered. A fairy-godmother-in-training poofed into your room and dropped two envelopes onto your desk.

You were dressed and waiting. As usual, you had laid out your clothes the night before. Your hair was combed in the half way style that you enjoyed and you had already gotten done with all of your morning workouts.

You looked at the two envelopes. One was your new classes, but the other was from Milton. You just tossed that one out the window and opened the other.

Everything looked to be in order: Swordsmanship, Drama, Advence Potion Making, History of Civilizations, and......

You looked closer, unsure what you were seeing. You were supposed to have a free class, but that didn't seem to be the case.

Y/N: What the hex? Why am I registered for General Villainy with Mr. Badwolf?

That couldn't be.

Y/N: This must be a mistake.

You reread the list.

Y/N: I’m not supposed to be in that class.

You weren't a villain. You were the heir of Oz. Something was wrong. You needed to talk to Cerise's dad about this.

The hallway filled with the sounds of footsteps and chatter as you headed out of the dormitory to your first class of the day.

You passed through the Common Room, ducking beneath the tree branches that grew inside the school. You grabbed brioches and orange juice from a Castleteria cart. All the students were talking about their class lists.

Lizzie: Why are you walking so fast?

You stopped when you heard your friend. You looked over to see Dutchess and Lizzie walking through the halls, Lizzie yelling at everyone to get out of her way, clearing a path.

Dutchess: I want to get there early so I can tell Mr. Badwolf to transfer me to another class.

Looks like you weren't the only one who had a bad schedule.

Lizzie swung her bag over her shoulder.

Lizzie: Can you do that? Headmaster Grimm makes all the class decisions. There must be some reason why he included you.

She took a bite of breakfast.

Dutchess: Putting me in General Villainy doesn’t make sense.

Her brow furrowed beneath the pearl strand.

Lizzie swallowed.

Lizzie: We have a saying in Wonderland: The rhythm of time brings the telling of rhyme.

Dutchess: What’s that supposed to mean?

Lizzie: It means all answers will be revealed in time.

That was a nice thought, but the truth was, Duchess didn’t have time on her side. She had only these moments at Ever After High to do her best, to get perfect grades, and to live her life before her destiny caught up with her.

You were also running out of time. You were on a ticking clock that wasn't slowing down. The day will come where you will have to leave to take back your home, so you didn't want to waste any time with such a pointless class.

They finished their breakfast. Then, just as they left their juice containers with the recycling fairy, Lizzie cried.

Lizzie: Oh no!

Her hedgehog had leaped from the book bag and was running as fast as her pudgy little legs could carry her, which wasn’t very fast. Because the courtyard was so crowded, the critter managed to disappear in the maze of feet.

Lizzie: Bad hedgehog!

Then, in much the same way that Duchess transformed from a person into a swan, Lizzie transformed from a girl who’d been happily eating a brioche to an ill-tempered future ruler.

Lizzie: I hereby order someone to stop that hedgehog!

She began waving her scepter.

Lizzie: Watch your feet or heads will roll!

Y/N: Looking for this?

Shuffle had curled into a ball and was lying in a pair of cupped hands. Your hands. Shuffle actually quite liked you since you were always so nice to her mistress.

Lizzie: You naughty hedgehog.

Lizzie plucked Shuffle from your hands and plopped her back into her book bag.

Y/N: Always glad to come to the rescue, Liz.

Lizzie: I don’t need to be rescued. I’m perfectly capable of catching my own hedgehog.

She squared her shoulders in a proper way, but Duchess could tell, from the softening expression on Lizzie’s face, that she was grateful. She just couldn’t admit it in public.

Duchess pushed a strand of lavender hair from her eyes and gazed up at the face that was only an arm’s length away.

A chorus of giggles arose from the edge of the courtyard, where your groupies had gathered to catch a morning glimpse of their favorite prince. They took pictures with their Mirror-Phones. Adoration clung to you like paint to a wall. Was every single girl at school in love with you?

It was something you couldn't quite get used to. It was like having fans. It had started when One Reflection revealed that they were Ozzians, and it only grew when everyone found out that you used to run with the Jolly Roger crew.

Lizzie hated it.

Lizzie: Well, gotta go. Riddle you later.

Lizzie started walking again. Duchess followed.

Y/N: Uh, actually, I think we all have the same class.

The two turned around with wide eyes in surpise. You? In General Villainy? Why?

Y/N: But I figured we could skip and do something else? It's General Villainy so wouldn't it be okay?

Lizzie: Do something? You mean like...

She smiled sweetly.

Lizzie: Chop off your head?

You both started to laugh. That was funny. Duchess tried to stifle her laugh by holding a hand over her mouth, but the honk escaped through her fingers.

You glanced at her.

Y/N: Did you just honk?

Duchess’s cheeks began to heat up.

Y/N: That was pretty cute. I mean, swans honk, you honk. It kinda works.

Dutchess was honestly shocked that you weren't about to make fun of her. You actually seemed to be charmed by her laugh.

This was....odd.

Y/N: Oh, but, Lizzie.

You turned back to the future Queen of Hearts.

Y/N: I was wondering if you wanted to take a stroll later on this evening? I know I've been skipping out on our tea time lately cause I've been busy.

Dutchess: Am I hearing things? Did he just ask her out?

Duchess checked her ears, to make sure there weren’t any feathers stuck in them.

Dutchess: What about me?

She imagined you dancing a pas de deux, standing at her side, lifting her into the air with your strong arms. Twirling around and around on the dance floor.

Wait. What? What was that about? She didn't even know you all that well. You were literally just trying to kill her swan this morning like some kind of savage. She wasn't about to fall for you just because you were being a gentleman now.

Lizzie’s hedgehog had once again escaped the book bag and was climbing up Lizzie’s arm.

Lizzie: I don’t want to take a stroll with you. I get plenty of exercise on the Croquet Team.

Duchess’s mouth fell open. Lizzie turned you down? Was she mad?

Y/N: Very well. Tea time then.

Lizzie: I shall agree to this.

Dutchess: I’ll go on a stroll with you.

But, this is what Duchess wanted to say, but the five-minute warning bell chimed. She snapped out of her daze, remembering that she needed to talk to Mr. Badwolf.

Dutchess: Come on.

Y/N: Right. We should to get class. I need to talk to Mr. Badwolf anyway.

Lizzie: Out of the way!

Lizzie hollered at the groupies, who hastily scattered.

Lizzie: I hate getting angry so early in the morning. I don’t know how my mother does it. She has at least fifty temper tantrums a day. I’ve only had a few, and I’m already exhausted.

Y/N: Then maybe you should take ot easy, Liz.

Duchess wiped a crumb from the corner of her mouth. But the lingering sweetness of the brioche had become tainted by the bitterness of envy.

The End Is Just The Beginning....