Agatha and Tedros cowered from her, eyes wide, and Sophie’s stomach went ice-cold. Slowly she raised her arm and saw it marred with two gruesome black warts. More warts sizzled through as her skin started to wrinkle like curdling milk, mottling with liver spots.
“No—it’s her—it’s the Dean—” Sophie choked, but she couldn’t see Evelyn at the fringe. “She’s doing this to me—”
Agatha retreated next to Tedros, fingers both raised at Sophie with matching gold glows, as Sophie’s blond hair fell out in clumps, her back swelled to a hump, her legs spindled to bony sticks.
Agatha shook her head, torn between pity and anger. “It was you, Sophie. It was always you.”
“I’m sorry—for everything I did—” Sophie cried, writhing in pain. “But I’m not this!”
“You can’t be here anymore, Sophie,” Agatha said, misting up. “We’ll only be happy apart.”
Tedros looked at his princess, stunned.
“Agatha, no!” Sophie screamed—
The Storian suddenly glowed redder, sensing The End. Agatha hesitated as her friend’s teeth blackened and dissolved, her hair shedding faster, faster. Agatha’s face softened with grief—
“We’ll be happy as long as we live, Agatha,” Tedros pressured her. “And she’ll be gone.”
Agatha nodded, tearing up.
“YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE ME!” Sophie begged—
“I can’t, Sophie,” Agatha said, clasping Tedros. “I can’t believe you anymore.”
“NO!” Sophie screamed, charging for her, but more pain sent her buckling.
Agatha gripped Tedros tighter as Sophie shrivelled with a howl, her warted scalp gleaming, her face gnarling to an old, Evil hag’s—
“Now, Agatha,” Tedros said, for Sophie was crawling towards them across the crack.
“Agatha, I don’t want to be like her!” Sophie pleaded. “I don’t want to end like my mother!” She reached out her shrivelled hand for her only friend—
Agatha met her eyes with deep, terrible sorrow. Then she turned away.
Sophie recoiled, watching Agatha in Tedros’ arms. “No…not this...” she gasped.
Tedros’ blue eyes pierced Agatha’s with a promise. “Forever.”
Agatha heard her wish for him. This time she listened.
Agatha gave herself to her prince.
“Forever.”
Tedros clasped her cheeks and kissed her, their lips touching for the first time. Agatha’s head went light, a blinding glow coursing through her veins. As his warmth spilled through her, Agatha heard Sophie’s animal scream recede behind her, softer, softer, into silence. Holding Tedros closer, Agatha felt her heart floating, fear crumbling to ash, as if at last she’d found her Ever After, as if at last she’d found an ending that couldn’t be taken away…
Their lips finally parted, as prince and princess broke apart, each panting for breath. They looked up at their open storybook in the light of the moon, a vision of their sealing kiss splashed across the page, a witch vanished from their story…two last words penned beneath…
THE EN—
Evelyn Sader had her fingertip under the pen’s sharp nib, blood dripping as if she’d pricked it on a spindle…the D left unwritten.
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...
