♚ list of quotes.

[plie]

Duchess stared at Raven with dark, unblinking eyes. "Hello," she said flatly.

Duchess smoothed her feathered skirt and looked down her thin nose at Raven. "I don't usually hang out with commoners."

"An Evil Queen." A playful light danced in Duchess's eyes. "Looking forward to that, are you, Raven? Pretending to be nice all the time must be exhausting. I'll bet you can't wait to sign that book and embrace your future already."

"Now there's a future villain who doesn't pretend," said Duchess, nodding at Lizzie Hearts. "She's destined to be an Evil Queen, and she owns it. Why are you so afraid to own it, Raven?"

The feathers on Duchess's cap bristled. "At least I'm not a villain," said the daughter of the Swan Queen.

"Oh, wait, maybe I'm totally wrong. Maybe you actually believe you are nice." Duchess tilted her head, looking at Raven with an expression of mock concern. "You poor, sweet child. Did your daddy lie to you when you were just a wee little hatchling? Did he promise you that you had a 'good heart' and that if you wanted, you could grow up to be just as nice and stupid and boring as he is?"

Apple held her breath. Her face burned. Not at Duchess's rudeness-- Apple knew that Duchess desperately wanted a Happily Ever After, and any reminder that she wasn't getting one always ruffled her feathers.

Duchess even volunteered to turn into her swan form, fly to Baba Yaga's cottage, and ask the dark sorcery instructor to come change the snakes back to birds.

Duchess put her tray down at the royals' table, but Raven noticed that she was the only princess there who wasn't promised a Happily Ever After. Though she was the heroine and not the villain, her story ended in tragedy. Perhaps her lifted chin, her dark-eyed glare, held sadness or fear.

There was Duchess Swan, who in nursery-rhyme school used to tell the other students not to play with Raven because she ate spiders for breakfast.

"Sounds lovely," said Duchess Swan. She didn't seem to walk so much as float across the floor. "But I don't think some students can wear anything as pale as pink, poor dears. The evil in them seeps out and stains the fabric." She looked at Raven and raised one thin eyebrow.

At the same time, Duchess Swan poofed into swan form and flew herself out of her tower.

Unfortunately, Duchess Swan didn't feel the same, "The daughter of Cinderella, already taking the best Prince Charming from her step-friends--"

Duchess raised her hand, "Since all our destinies have a Prince Charming, what if someone fell in love with... not a Charming?" Was she looking right at me? Did she know? My breath stopped in my throat.

When I finally awoke, Duchess — the one person I didn't want to see — sat at the edge of the bed, "Oh Ashlynn, we were all so worried."

"You fainted, and nobody knew why," she leaned in to whisper, "Except me. I saw you with that huntsman. You're into him!"

"You heard the headmaster," she was right, "You can't date him. You're the daughter of Cinderella, for Grimm's sake. Your chapter would close... and his too. Not that I care."

"Oh I might not," she relaxed, "if you switch lab heroes with me. YOUR destiny has a Happily Ever After. You don't need Daring Charming to make it happen. Me, on the other wing..."

She stood up to leave, "Get better, 'kay?"

“Why nothing at all,” Duchess stifled a giggle, “She just had the bad luck of being paired with Daring Charming. He’s the key; the heir to the Charming throne. Ashlynn just got caught in the middle. I thought her family ring was important enough, but when I saw her with… oh nevermind.”

“That’s my little secret,” Duchess sing-songed, “But don’t worry. Return her ring, and claim your prize.”

...when Duchess Swan decided to ruffle our feathers: "Oh my wand, Apple, stop trying to brainwish the poor girl into thinking you rule."

Duchess has been a thorn in my side ever since Prince Daring Charming asked me to last year's Enchantment in the Forest dance instead of her. First of all, everyone knows Daring and I are just friends. It's not my fault he didn't ask out Duchess. That's no reason for her to spread fables about me putting a love potion in Daring's lunch.

Could it be Duchess Swan? Her feathers have been ruffled ever since Prince Daring Charming asked out Apple last year instead of her.

Duchess was sitting right behind me and Apple in the balcony. You could tell by the jealousy in her tone that she still had it out for Apple. I wouldn't put it past her to have something up her wing.

That's when I realized Duchess Swan saw us leave. She must've told the Headmaster.