“What the hell kind of question is that?!” Hester snarled, cornering Phoenix in their dorm. The infamous Room 66.
Phoenix met her gaze evenly while Anadil and Dot gaped at the fire princess. “You heard what I said. It’s a simple question, Hester.”
“And what leads to that question being warranted, eh, Nixie?!” Hester demanded, then did a horrible imitation of Phoenix. “‘If I were to die, would you protect Kiko in my place?’”
“Yes or no.” Phoenix didn’t bat an eyelid.
Hester’s tattoo swelled and Phoenix half expected it to attack her, instead, Hester got all up in her face.
“What kind of self-sacrificing plan are you concocting, Nixie?” she hissed. “If you die, what are we supposed to tell Ravan? Think about that, huh? He’s been a pain for the past two years, but he’ll become unbearable if you die!”
Phoenix flinched and Hester understood she hadn’t actually thought about that just yet. Even in a horrible new world where Evil could have a Never After, Phoenix and Ravan still bottled up their feelings, preparing to go back to the normal world of Good and Evil, Ever and Never.
“He knows.” Phoenix said and it took Hester a second to realise she wasn’t talking about Ravan. “He knows about the interactions with the League. He asked me to bring forward anyone I find suspicious, no matter of who it is, and he’ll bump Kiko up the rankings as thanks, no matter of who it is.”
“And…?” Hester hissed. “Gonna hand over the spies to secure your best friend’s future?”
“He believes it’s only one person.” Phoenix folded her arms. “And I’d never dream of handing the brains of the spies over.”
Hester’s eyes widened as she understood.
“If I hand myself over, I just want to ensure someone will look out for Kiko.” Phoenix said. “I’m just covering all my bases.”
Hester grabbed her by the shirt and pressed her against the wall. “Don’t even think about it! So many strategies would fail if we lost your firepower—”
“And your genuine hopeful outlook.” Dot said, turning a pen to chocolate and eating it.
“We’ll figure something out, Phoenix.” Hester said. “But there’s no way you’re handing yourself over as a spy. Agatha would slaughter us if we just stood by and let that happen, not to mention—”
“Don’t say his name.” Phoenix said quietly and tapped Hester’s hand. Her golden eyes were sad. “I won’t do anything reckless as of yet. But if they so much begin to have an inkling of suspicion towards you…” her eyes flashed with determination. “I’m handing myself over to buy you more time. Understand?”
The way she spoke the last few sentences were so commanding. The Coven could see why Phoenix was raised to be a leader…she was already a Queen.
“We’ll cover our tracks well enough.” Hester snarled back. “You won’t be dying in this war Phoenix.”
YOU ARE READING
Fire Princess
FanficYears 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...
