filling in canon: sge oneshots

moon song

"Is this too dull for the finale?" Sophie said, whirling to Agatha in a midnight-blue ballgown with delicate gold leaves, a ruby pendant around her neck, and a tiara of blue orchids. "That reminds me. Can you sing harmony?"

Agatha swelled like a tick. "Have you lost your mind! You said it'd be a tribute to the kidnapped children, not some fairground burlesque! I can't act, I can't sing, and here we are having a dress rehearsal for a vanity show that doesn't even have a scrip— What is THAT?"

She pointed at the sash of red crystals across Sophie's dress.

BALL QUEEN

Sophie stared at her. "You don't expect me to tell our story as it happened, do you?"

Agatha scowled.

(A World Without Princes, Chapter 1)

-----

Agatha stomped home in a bitterly foul mood.

"Good rehearsal?" said Callis mildly as Agatha kicked the door open, then was forced to put the wobbly door handle back on as it went flying off. Agatha hesitated, not sure how much she ought to tell her mother. She could hardly air all of it to her, since Callis, like everyone else, was under the impression she'd gone to Evil.

"Curses? Yeah, rehearsals were... fine."

Callis's lip curled. She never missed much, no matter what she pretended.

"I'm sure that's what Sophie thought. For someone who supposedly trained as a Princess..."

She trailed off.

"Supposedly?" said Agatha tautly. "You don't believe in the School, after all?"

"I believe in the School just fine," said Callis. "I have less faith in how much of her education she has retained."

Agatha didn't respond, just slouched in a grumpy heap at the table. Callis shot her an odd look.

"Don't ask about Evil." snapped Agatha. This little pretend game that they liked to play was wearing thin; where Callis pretended to believe that Agatha had gone to Evil and Sophie had gone to Good. Callis was very good at her part. Agatha was very reticent with hers. They both knew the other knew better, but the subject hadn't been broached since the day Agatha had returned, and that wouldn't change.

"Wasn't going to." said Callis imperiously, sifting through her basket of herbs.

"Good."

"It is good." Callis plucked out a stem of rosemary. "Don't slouch, dear."

"Slouched at Evil." muttered Agatha sarcastically. Callis shot her a frown, unimpressed by her opportunism.

"And I suppose there was a class on talking back to your mother, too? Amongst the potions and hexes and henchmen?"

"Maybe there was."

"Don't you deride me," said Callis sharply. "I respected my mother and I'd like to think you'd respect yours."

Frowning, Agatha sat up, annoyance replaced by curiosity.

"You never talk about your mother."

"She's dead." said Callis shortly, throwing leaves into the mortar.

"What was her name?"

Callis paused, crushing sage under her pestle. Finally, she said;