Nevermore

Never After (Pt 2)

After hearing no word from the ambush group after two hours, Daphne knew something had gone wrong. No word from Hazel either, who was supposed to be their spy. Silence. 

Another hour went by, people restless and worried, eyes darting around for answers no one had. 

"Do you know anything?" Daphne whispered to Anadil. 

Anadil sighed. "We've all guessed it was a failure."

"What now?" Daphne whispered to Anadil. No response. She didn't know. 

It was five minutes later when the Rulers of Good came to the courtyard to address the army, looking grave. 

"We presume the worst." Merlin said matter-of-factly. "We've discussed the situation and we can't back down now, it's now or never. We ride on to Camelot ready to face whatever we find there."

Twenty minutes later, the army was out of Jaunt Jolie, riding through the dark woods. Daphne had thought a lot about what Farkas had said and the truth was, she felt the same way. Ever since she had saw him, really - saved her, although she didn't need saving. She had said she'd think about it because she wasn't willing to get her heart broken, for him to die in battle. Losing her family, her life and then him? If she had said yes, the pain would be so much worse. 

Besides, Daphne wouldn't call herself pretty. She was mediocre and he was a Prince. Okay, she did possess some kind of power but nevertheless she had no royal blood. If she did, there wasn't much. Daphne could never imagine herself in a ball gown. And, she didn't want to be one anyway. If their relationship came to marriage, that's what she'd be subject to.

You're getting ahead of yourself. For gods sake, we're only fourteen. 

Daphne felt her cheeks flush scarlet from the thought. Focus. Camelot was not too far from Jaunt Jolie so the ride would only be a couple hours. It would be midnight by the time where they had planned the ambush. Fighting in the dark would be so much more difficult. Soldiers would mix up the enemy from their own and vice versa knowing they had to strike first. 

Daphne was wondering about Hazel, though. Surely she could have reported back since she was invisible. Unless...

Unless Hazel had fled. Daphne hadn't known the girl that well but she knew enough that her loyalties to the cause weren't strong at all. After all, Queen Jacinda was only too happy to kill Hazel to Evil if it meant saving her own skin. Or if she had joined Evil. Daphne sighed. She wouldn't. It was too obvious, Hazel would be the villain in a fairytale. The snake, the ability, the clothes she, Hester and Anadil had shared. No, Hazel was no princess. Then again, neither was she. 

The space was deadly silent when they arrived. You couldn't hear the rustle of the leaves or the wind in the air, anything at all. Too silent. There was no sign anyone had been here even though Daphne knew they had been. There. On that leaf on that bush. Daphne hopped off her horse carefully, bending down and inspecting an olive green leaf. There was a drop of dried blood, long turned brown. Aha. They missed some. It was all clear now. Evil had wiped out Good and hid the tracks, hoping to confuse the next segment to come.  "Very clever," Daphne muttered before climbing back on her horse who was named Spirit. 

They were probably hiding nearby, hoping to catch them off guard. Too bad. Further back the army, there was the sound of frenzy, horses whinnying in terror and the screams of soldiers. Spells shot through the air as people tried to stay alive. From the back, trying to draw us into the city where more of Evil is waiting. "Don't run!" Daphne shouted, trying her best to be heard but to no avail above the fighting. The horses were spooked and as Evil hoped, galloped away, which was to Camelot. It was a domino effect, the animals gone wild, no choice but for the riders to cling on, including Daphne while Spirit was going at full speed. 

Where they had been was not far from Camelot at all and Daphne could see towering gold spires darkened by night growing closer by the second, surrounding by an impenetrable wall. Fear struck her through the chest. People waited in the shadows, directing the horses the way in where more enemies awaited. This can't be the end, Daphne thought desperately. 

Towering gates of Gold lay right ahead, like the jaws into doom. The gates were flanked by two statues - on one side a lion and the other side s snake, both constructed from stone. What an odd thing to notice when you're quite possibly about to die. Daphne was in the city now and like she'd suspected, she was already being attacked. Her horse neighed in anger and unintentionally threw Daphne off, causing her to land on a stone hard floor, fracturing her ankle, screaming in pain. 

The battle was all around them now, soldiers from both sides fighting frenzied, no one noticing Daphne in the midst. She couldn't move at all - she might as well be dead. 

Tears stung her eyes as she remembered the fresh memory of a dragon looming over her, about to kill her. Luckiness saved her then, would it now? Daphne knew she had to keep fighting any way she can. For her lost family, for Farkas and for so many others. She grabbed her staff which was lying next to her, using it to prop herself up on her other foot, gritting her teeth. 

Daphne could see Sophie in the distance, brandishing her fingerglow, sending a fray of curses and spells and Rafal too, not far away. 

Weakly, she tried to muster a spell from her staff to no avail, collapsing back down onto the floor, cursing in her head. 

What happened next seemed to occur in slow motion. Sophie appeared to have a blue glow illuminated on her, levitating in the air, seeming out of consciousness. As if it couldn't get any stranger. Soldiers from both Good and Evil stopped fighting, gawking at the Evil Queen's debut.

If only the Good soldiers would carry on fighting, taking this opportunity to get the upper hand. If only.