The Lady's Secret (School for Good and Evil)

Save the Witch

Tedros smashed through the doors at the charge of his mob and, with a beastly cry, raised the sword over Sophie's back-

"Death to the wi-"

Agatha jumped in front of Sophie, unable to watch her best friend die a second time. "No!" she cried. Tedros dropped his sword.

Sophie turned around, clasping Agatha's hand, her normal confidence regained. "Poor Teddy, every time he finds his princess, it turns out she's a witch."

The prince looked at Agatha, stunned. "You're with... her?"

"She's lying!" Agatha screamed, flailing to break Sophie's grip.

"How do you think she survived the fall out of that tower window? Why do you think she jumped in front of your sword to save me, a witch?" Sophie questioned him, hugging Agatha tighter to her side.

"No!" Agatha shouted, wrenching free of Sophie's gnarled hand. "She's lying!"

Tedros looked at her. "How did you survive the fall? Why did you jump in front of her? I could have ended it. And you stopped me."

"I jumped in front of her to save her-"

"To save the witch?" Tedros's eyes widened. "Maybe you really aren't the girl I thought you were. Maybe you really are just another witch," he spat, as if saying the word tasted horrible in his mouth.

"Tedros, we can fix us. We can-" Agatha's voice cracked as she took a step towards him.

Tedros moved back. "I don't want a witch, Agatha. I don't want you."

It was silent and then-

"So, how does it feel, Agatha? To be betrayed? To be rejected? To be me? You took everything that was mine and now you have nothing. How does it feel?" Sophie looked at her expectantly, but Agatha stayed silent.

How could she fix this? How could she convince everyone to just stop?

Agatha felt something rise within her; a wish. She didn't know who it belonged to or what it was wishing for, but somewhere deep inside of herself, she knew it would save them.

Agatha let the magic stream out of her, more powerful than she had ever been. It almost felt as if she had the powers of the One True Queen once again. Golden light, the same light protruding from her index finger, blasted the room. It lit through every dark corner of the gloomy and dank castle of Evil. Agatha felt as though she were complete, her entire self part of this extraordinary magic.

Help me, it whispered to her and Agatha realized she was thinking the exact same thing.

She was granting her own wish.

Agatha felt the magic seep out of her, blinding the room with gold, until she could tell the wish was complete. Agatha opened her eyes.

Tedros was crying. Sophie's mouth gaped open. The Evers and Nevers stared in awe.

King Arthur stood before them.