Anarchy

IX

CHAPTER 9,
"CORONATION."

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❝… Beware 
Of entrance to a quarrel, but being in, 
Bear't that the opposed may beware of thee.❞

— Lord Polonius,
Hamlet 

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It was a perfectly sunny day, not a cloud in the sky, and it made Anna sick. It was never like this on the Isle. While the sun reached it on the outer edges, it was almost always cloudy, lightning a common occurrence. Mal was riding in the carriage with Prince Ben, as was her duty as his girlfriend.

Anna bitterly fought back bile at the thought, reaching down to smooth out her skirt. It was a maroon, tea-length dress with little streaks of black in the chiffon. When she was a child, she only wore dresses; she refused to wear pants or tights or anything of the sort. Now, she was older and could see the benefits of not having to worry about undignified people looking up her skirt; it astonished her that particular bit of innocence had lasted as long as it did.

The great, wooden doors swung open. By whose hand, Anna wasn't sure. She slipped through the crowd to hide behind the pillar next to the door, cool against her touch.

Mal's racing heart could be heard across the room if the werewolf listened and focused hard enough. The noise, combined with the swarms of people and the misanthropy her father had ingrained in her so long was giving her sensory overload. She pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth and tapped the tips of her fingers against the pad of her thumb, inhaling with every other beat. Mentally, Anna counted the same numbers as she tapped out, six, seven, eight, nine. Six, seven, eight, nine. Six, seven, eight, nine.

Mal moved to her allotted spot and the ceremony began, the wand being unsheathed to bless the soon-to-be king and his reign. Anna glanced over to find her other friends standing along with everyone else in the balcony. Evie cast her a fearful look, and the werewolf did her best to reply with a supportive smile. Mal had yet to make a grab for the wand, despite the fact that this was her chance.

Trust her judgement, Anna reminded herself. We can do this. She could only hope Rianne would be safe in her arms by the end of the day.

Jane lunged forward to rip the wand from her mother's hand, and Anna's eyes widened; that hadn't been part of the plan. A spell shot from the tip, but no one acknowledged it among the sparks it gave off. A wand created for such good did not like to be handled by greed.

Carlos, Evie, and Jay shoved their way to the balcony door, and Anna used her new strength to rip one of the doors open. They didn't hesitate to dash inside.

Jane and Mal grappled for a moment before the latter managed to wrench it from her hands. Fairy Godmother seemed relieved for a moment before realizing Maleficent's daughter held her wand. She attempted to cover her nerves as she murmured for Mal to hand it over.

Anna swallowed thickly and instigated her transformation, shaking out her fur as she pushed herself back to her feet, now doubled in number. The four made a half-circle around Mal, protecting her from the guards in the crowd.

"You really want to do this?" Ben asked, heart in his eyes.

"We have no choice, Ben!" Mal yelled, the end of her fourth word echoing around the room.