#a lil bit o villain!dexter for yall

[rae-of-gold]

Imagine

Legacy Day. The signing procession goes from story to story, not starting with the most important story of Snow White, but starting with the unknowns. The second born, second rate heroes, villains, riff raff and drabble.

Dexter Charming is at the stand. He looks out at the crowd of his friends, his brother. His twin sister behind him giving him words of encouragement before he signs. He says the magic words with wavering breath: "I, Dexter Charming, am ready to pledge my destiny."

His key appears in the air before him. Gold with a sharp edged stem and a silhouette of a jackal laid on a deep blue background on the bow. He carefully plucked it and turned it into the lock on the Storybook of Legends.

The pages flip through, faster and faster, stopping on an image of him. In a long forgotten tale.

He was a king. With a beautiful wife, a beautiful kingdom and a child on the way. A breath of relief escaped him as he stood tall and watched the pages continue turning and the story progressing.

He saw him above a slain sea beast, spear in hand and he beamed. His family had nothing to worry about, he had nothing to worry about. He would continue the family legacy just as everyone hoped. But the pages kept turning.

A furious sea god cursing the kingdom. Him and his future wife giving away their child. Years later and he turns dark. Cold blooded. Ruthless. He goes back to the man he gave his child to, cursing him for eternity. And his child returning, fully grown. He knows it's his kid, his wife knows it's their kid, but they turn them away anyway. Why? because they didn't fit the Charming family standard. The Sea God returns only to curse him and his wife themselves.

A large ornate gold mirror blinks into existence in front of him, showing a still imagine of his cold, grey, drowned body floating in the ocean.

His hands hold the podium until his knuckles turn white. His legs can barely keep him up as he stares in stricken shock at the future in front of him. Mouth agape, the key turns into a feather pen, expecting him to subject himself to that horrid ending as if nothing were wrong with it.

He had spent his entire life fearing that he would never know what destiny had in store for him. Now that he knew, he missed when he didn't.

He lifted a quivering hand to the quill, clutching it tightly and holding it to his chest while he thought.

Raven had talked about not signing. How she shouldn't be forced to do anything that goes against her being, nor should anyone else. Dexter didn't want to die in the way he just saw. He shouldn't be forced to give up a child and then shun them when it's time to take them back.

But who would he be if he didn't?

Charmings follow their story.

No matter what.