Lady Lesso stood at the window of Professor Sader's former office, long black braid dangling over the back of her pointy-shouldered purple gown. She whirled as the door opened to show Dovey escorting Agatha and Sophie, who looked worse for wear, but she didn't have time for niceties.
"Did anyone see you?" she asked sharply.
"No," said Professor Dovey.
Lady Lesso spun to Sophie and Agatha, violet eyes flashing.
"Then it's time they learned what they've done."
"We did this?" Agatha blurted.
"But we weren't even here!" said Sophie, turning between the Dean of Evil at the window and the Dean of Good at an old desk, overflowing with open books.
Lady Lesso glowered at their dirt-smudged faces. "In this world, actions have consequences. Endings have consequences."
"But our fairy tale ended happily!" Sophie said.
Professor Dovey let out a groan.
"Why don't you tell us how it ended?" Lady Lesso sneered, blue veins throbbing.
"We killed the School Master and solved his riddle!" Sophie said.
"That's how Sophie and I went home!" said Agatha.
"Clarissa, show them how it really ends," Lady Lesso growled.
Professor Dovey flung a book across the desk. It was heavy and thick, bound with brown sheepskin and spattered with mud. Agatha opened to the first soggy page. Black calligraphy, slightly smeared, spilled across fresh parchment.
The Tale of Sophie & Agatha
Sophie turned the page to a richly coloured painting of her and Agatha, standing before the School Master.
Once upon a time, the script below read, there were two girls.
Agatha remembered the line. The Storian had written it to start their fairy tale when they broke into the School Master's tower. Flipping the book's pages, Agatha saw her and Sophie's story unfold in a brilliant sweep of paintings: Sophie trying to win Tedros' kiss, Agatha saving Tedros' life in a brutal attack, Agatha and Tedros falling in love, Sophie transforming into a vengeful witch, the School Master stabbing Sophie, Agatha reviving her with love's kiss, and then the very last page...a dazzling vision of Tedros desperately reaching for Agatha as she and Sophie disappeared, three words beneath to close their story...
They were gone.
Agatha felt tears rise, soaking in all the pain and love she and Sophie had shared to get home.
"It's the perfect fairy tale," Sophie said, meeting Agatha's eyes with a choked-up smile.
They turned to the teachers, who looked deathly grim. "It's not over," said Lady Lesso.
The girls peered down at the book, confused. Their grimy hands lifted the last page, and they saw there was something on the other side.
A painting of Tedros, back turned, walking into dark fog, all alone.
And Sophie and Agatha lived happy ever after, for girls don't need princes for love to call...
No, they don't need princes in their fairy tales at all.
"This one's from Maidenvale. But you can find it anywhere, really. They're even telling it in Netherwood."
Sophie and Agatha raised their heads to Professor Dovey, frowning over the messy desk.
YOU ARE READING
Fire Princess
FanfictionYears ago, once her fairytale had ended, Rapunzel married a prince who's entire family possessed the powers of phoenixes. That same power was passed onto her children. This is the story of her daughter, Phoenix of Firebirch, who attends the School f...
