Build A Forever After

Salsipuedes

She'd been walking for a little more than a mile when she came by a rundown looking pub. She looked around, there was nothing, only rolling hills, wildflowers and a sea of grass for all the eye could see. The wooden base of the building seemed to shake with every slight breeze, and she thought nothing of it until she spotted a sign hanging over the doorway to the pub. Salsipuedes the sign read, and Cory's heart sunk, Salsipuedes wasn't a town, it was a rest stop on the road to nowhere.

Corinthia walked through the doorway and was greeted by a surprisingly spacious and well kept inside. The pub was dimly lit with gas lamps lining the walls. There was also an array of trophies-the head of any creature one could think of-hanging on the walls. She walked up to the bar and sat down, looking around her. The bar was full of all kinds of people warriors, thieves(she saw a little girl slip a coin from an older woman), wiccans, witches(they are different), magicians, pirates (what were they doing so far in land?). Then it hit her. Everything began to add up-the pub in the middle of nowhere, the people from the "wrong side of the tracks", the clanging and ringing sound of an out-of-tune piano-she wasn't just in a pub, she was in a "villains" hangout.

When the realization first dawned of her she started to panic. How's a hero going to survive in a pub full of "villains"? But she soon found out, much to her disappointment, that no one really cared. A large woman greeted her with a gruff,

"What can I get you?"  

Corinthia looked up, she could order mead-it was the best drink for any occasion-, but curiosity got the best of her as she looked at the cursive sign hanging above the bar, ask for our house special, if you can finish it and get out alive it's free.

"A house special" she cut herself off before saying please, not sure if that word was even part of a villains vocabulary. 

Corinthia felt piercing eyes on her as soon as she let the words escape her mouth, as well as a couple chuckles.  

"Make that two" a familiar voice came from behind.

The hooded figure plopped down next to her and a pair of large eyes adorned by a wreath of eyelashes popped up from underneath. Corinthia just about lost it. 

"What are you doing here?" Cory whispered harshly.

"Following you."

"But it's my quest."

"He's my prince"

The princess of Allendale was sitting next to her in all her glory her identity only hidden by a large, velvety green hood. She must've followed Cory all the way back from the castle.

"Look, this is really important to me, and I want to be there when I save my prince"

"You're going to save your prince?" Cory tried to hide the surprise in her voice, then she said under her breath, "that's not a very princessy thing to do"

"Princessy's not even a word" Dahlia shot back loudly glaring at her, and suddenly a couple heads turned around to look at them.

"I disagree, I feel like it is a word." A boy with spiked hair approached the arguing pair.

"Thank you for your opinion" Corinthia stated victoriously.

Dahlia huffed and let her hood down revealing her long mane of voluminous hair, and her face. Cory's eyes went wide as they darted between Dahlia and the boy who started to study the princesses features.

"You look familiar..." the boy trailed off and Cory felt faint. How had this quest gone downhill so fast? This was the end. Dahlia would be outed as the princess, Cory's career as a hero would be over, and they would probably end up dead. "Wait, aren't you the girl on the picture over the dart board?" 

"Yeah, that's me" Dahlia said looking over at a picture of a little girl-the only thing in common between the two of them was the green cape and the long hair- "but I was a lot younger back then."

The boy nodded, "I hear you're trying out the house special. That brew's killer, literally. I've seen it take out huge guys".

"The main difference between those guys and me is that I can hold my alcohol" Cory smiled.

"It's more than just alcohol" The boy looked at Corinthia carefully, "I don't think I've seen you around here before. I'm Michael." He stuck out a large hand which Cory gave a hard shake.

"Cory" she had considered using a fake name, but she was a terrible liar.

"Dahlia" the princess nodded to him.

"So Michael" Cory started, "I was wondering if you could help us out?"

Just then the lady came in and dumped two tall glasses frothing at the brim with a murky green liquid at the bar table in front of them.

"Thanks" Cory said nervously.

"Good luck" the woman sneered menacingly, as if she hoped the girls would fail.

Cory took a large swing out her drink, then felt her stomach do a back flip. That wasn't so bad. Dahlia was still studying her drink, but she too took a sip, although much smaller, from the mysterious solution. The princess grimaced.

"At your service, m'lady" Michael bowed deeply and extravagantly. Dahlia, already feeling warm or due to force of habit, mimed a curtsy from her seat on the bar stool.

"I need to find Gwyneth the witch."

A dark look passed over the boys face for a split second before he recovered and plastered on a fake grin, and although it was only for a moment Cory felt like there was more to this boy than there seemed. Afterall, he was a villain.

"Then you've come to the right person. Thanks, Sally." he said as he caught a pint of mead slid at him from the bar maid, "I actually just finished a long relationship with her."

By this time, Corinthia was three quarters of the way through her drink and she was starting to feel weird. 

"My skin's bubbling" she stuttered looking at her arm. Cory's whole body tingled from an extreme heat that overwhelmed her, and suddenly she shuddered as her body heat changed from scalding to freezing. She felt her skin ripple and her mind scream as if it were being ripped apart. Corinthia stumbled, nearly falling, off her seat into the hands of an increasingly excited Michael.

"Another one bites the dust" he muttered happily.

"Corinithia" Dahlia gracefully slid off her seat and looked worriedly over at her. She had already finished her drink (when did that happen?).  Then she looked at Michael authoritatively, "Help me take her outside."

"She's going to want to finish that drink of her's first" He said smiling, "It costs an arm and a leg"

Corinthia nodded, she wasn't sure if he was serious, and with a trembling hand reached for the glass.

"Must finish" Cory struggled to get the words out, they came out like gasps for air. Everything in the room was shaking.

She felt something cold being pressed against her lip as well as strong arms holding her up. She drank the liquid and it burned as it ran down her throat. Then she threw up, but by this time the world around her had been reduced to magical floating swirls.

"Hey!" A voice shouted, it seemed to be coming from far away.

"Shit" she heard Michael mutter as she was let go. Another arm, not quite as strong as the first, struggled to keep her steady. 

"You said that you would help us" Dahlia accused.

"Sorry, no can do" Michael said calmly.

"You're bound by your word, sir"

"My word means nothing"

"Help the lady out" the voice of the barmaid shot out of the darkness, "she did finish her drink, and she looks pretty alive to me"

Cory tried to say thanks, but all that came out was incoherent bumbling. Michael grumbled, but just then she felt her body being hoisted up and swung on a shoulder. The last thing she felt was the cool breeze of the outside.