A Fox Surrounded in Darkness (Twisted Wonderland x Encanto f!reader)

Chapter 60

Your Pov...

⦕The next day...⦖

⦓Mirror Chamber⦔

"Morning, Y/n," Epel greets me as I enter the chamber. I was the first person to arrive, outside of Epel.

"Morning," I mumble. Despite being packed the night before, I was still scrambling to get myself ready. "I underestimated how early we had to meet."

"There's prep work to do, so we need to be there bright and early," Epel explains. "Plus, my teammates need to get in some plush sledding practice."

"THE BATTLE HAS ALREADY BEGUN!" Sebek shouts as he enters the chamber.

"Why are you so loud," I question, my ears pinning themselves back to muffle the sound.

"Good morning, Sebek," Epel greets Sebek. "I hope it wasn't too bad getting up this early."

"Hardly," Sebek scoffs. "I'm always up at this hour for training. A little exercise will shake off any drowsiness. Last night I informed Malleus and Lilia that I would be participating in a sled race... And they told me to do my best out there. Failure is NOT an option!"

"Glad to see you're motivated, Sebek," Epel smiles. "I told Vil I was joining the race, and you know what he said to me? 'Beware of sunburn. And above all use, return victorious.' I'd expected a lecture about not letting my personal hygiene slip... But it turns out he's got a competitive streak."

"Goodness, you all arrived rather early," Jade chuckles as he enters the chamber. "Now I fear I've kept you waiting."

"Ah, good morning, Jade," Epel greets. "There's still 10 minutes or so until the meeting time. You're totally fine."

"Azul had many things he wanted to discuss when he heard I was going to Harveston," Jade sighs. "It was a trifle time-consuming."

"Like what," Epel asks.

"Well, the Mostro Lounge is going to hold a Harveston Fest," Jade answers and Epel makes a noise of surprise. "He said that since I was going anyway, I might as well turn it into a business opportunity. So I've been tasked with researching Harveston's notable culinary delights and local ingredients."

"Azul is certainly dedicated to his business..." Sebek says in admiration.

"Indeed," Jade agrees. "We'll be operating under a strict budget with a definite sales target. It's no simple side job."

"I can help with that, at least," Epel smiles. "I'd be happy to show you all our local specialties."

"Thank you, that's so kind, Epel," Jade thanks Epel. "I would greatly appreciate it."

"...Hi," Idia's text to speech says as he and Ortho enter the chamber.

"Good morning, everybody," Ortho greets us.

"Good morning, Idia, Ortho," Epel greets the brothers. "Glad to have you with us."

"That's a substantial amount of luggage for a mere weekend jaunt," Sebek observes the luggage Ortho and Idia had.

"I gotta bring the right mats to make the most out of this Sled Over Heels pilgrimage," the tablet uses a light hearted laughing tone.

"Thank you for inviting my brother, Epel Felmier," Ortho says. "I was so astonished when I heard he'd been invited on a trip. In fact, I still am!"

"It's not that big a deal," Epel nervously laughs.

"No, really," Ortho defends his words. "I literally couldn't process it for a while. It's like a miracle!"