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"In a utilitarian age, of all other times, it is a matter of grave importance that fairy tales should be respected." -Charles Dickens, Frauds on the Fairies
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The quartet rose with the next morning's sun, slowly moving through the beautiful pastures of La Vie Meadow towards their next venture, their horses moving at a relaxed pace in no particular rush.

Carolyn frowned as the cherry blossom trees around them grew increasingly sparse, fading into a vast, yellow field. The dead grass was a stark contrast to the beauty they were leaving behind, making the twins wish they could simply turn back around.

Aura tugged on her ear as the horses walked through the valley, knowing the next leg of their journey would be far more difficult than the last. Just two more items and then it's home free. She and her friends had not yet come to terms with the fact that they were marching into enemy territory woefully unprepared. All that was left to retrieve was the Story Almanac and the Letters of Destiny, the first of which they knew to be in the Dark Forest just a few hours ahead of them. But to know how to actually steal it from the Villains' playground? That was a much trickier puzzle to solve.

She was pulled out of her worrisome daze as a familiar raven flew overhead, soaring away from them towards the uncertain battle ahead. Aura's heart pumped faster than before, her mind taken back to the horrific nightmare she and Carolyn had experienced just a few nights before. The dark amulet, Onyx's chocolate brown eyes, and Maleficent's chiseled green features—all flashed through her brain at once.

The twins locked eyes, sharing the same ghastly memory. The towering trees they had dreamt now appeared not far in front of them, their branches and leaves as black as night. Flashbacks of Onyx walking towards the forest struck the two sisters as the horses trotted closer.

Carolyn felt Bailey tense up in front of her, the hair on her arms raising instinctively. She pulled their horse to the side as they neared the shadowy land, not wanting to spook the horses.

After they had secured their steeds to a tree, the four friends stood in front of the Dark Forest in a shaken stupor.

"So," Aura was the first to speak. "Do we have a plan?"

Carolyn cleared her throat when Bailey and Robin declined to talk. "Go in, grab the Story Almanac, then get the hell outta Dodge." She paused before adding, "Without getting killed."

"Are you three ready?" Bailey asked, not removing her eyes from the line of trees.

"No, Bailey, I'm not particularly thrilled to enter a horror movie," Carolyn stated sharply.

"Yeah, me neither."

With one last look at the blue skies, they stepped into the forest towards certain danger.

The atmosphere instantly changed. The soft breeze came to a silent halt— everything was silent. The air was colder than before, just cool enough to send a shiver through the friends' bodies. Trees stretched on for seemingly miles above them, their dark shade making it nearly impossible to see a few feet ahead. Their only source of light was an eerie blue glow shining softly around them. Fog rolled over their ankles, covering the forest floor in a misty haze.

The four carefully made their way deeper into the woods, nearly tripping over the protruding tree roots concealed by the fog. They had yet to find one clear path and could only stumble around in hopes of finding the Story Almanac.

"Where do you think it is?" Carolyn whispered, her raspy voice suddenly interrupting the deathly silence.

"Do you think Gran made a mistake—that maybe it isn't here?" Aura asked, huddling closer to her sister when she heard a soft creaking. Her eyes frantically searched through the mist until they finally traveled above herself.

An entire system of shabby huts connected by dangling, rotting, wood bridges was built into the trees. They resembled the horrifying haunted houses at the Halloween carnival that Aura avoided like the plague every year. But this time she couldn't escape them—they were everywhere. The system of houses spanned seemingly forever around them; their dark outlines just barely visible through the fog.

The dense trees thinned to reveal a large clearing with a single, marble pedestal in the center. The Story Almanac sat on top, free of any soldiers guarding it or glass panes covering it.

Carolyn's breath lodged in her throat as her eyes traced the outline of hundreds of suspended, rusted cages rising above the forest floor. Each one held a single prisoner— but their occupants looked nothing like criminals besides their raggedy attire and cloth covering their mouths.

The monarchs they had read about their whole lives sat behind the bars, from Ariel of Sealin to Elsa of Arendelle. Each hero and heroine were just out of reach of the Story Almanac, too far away to grasp it in their hands and change their circumstances. It did not look like the glowing gem the twins had seen at the beginning of their nightmare. Instead, it resembled obsidian but did not even reflect the pale forest light. Only a few of the fairytale royals were missing from the horrific display—ones the four friends knew to be under love spells or imprisoned elsewhere.

The tattered huts expanded through the trees above the cages, allowing its inhabitants to watch over the captured Heroes whenever they pleased.

"Oh my God..." Aura trailed off in a trembling voice, her face paling as tears threatened to spill down her pale cheeks.

They hardly had time to react to the rustling they heard above themselves before a group of henchmen jumped down from the dark treehouses. The Villains' lackeys were a peculiar mash-up, with a combination of ogres, animalistic goons, and Hun soldiers. Each monster and man had various weapons drawn, ranging from wooden bats all the way to daggers. The group of henchmen was far from large, but was intimidating nonetheless, and outnumbered the four friends.

Robin loaded his bow with three arrows in the blink of an eye, stepping in front of the three girls. The twins and Bailey drew their swords but froze in place when another, more feminine, figure dropped to the forest floor. She had a knife in each hand, but her eyes were far sharper.

Hunter smiled at them disingenuously, curtsying before the twins. "And here I was all sad," she began coyly. "I thought you would never show."

"Guess it's your lucky day," Robin snapped, his voice coated with poison.

The redhead looked past Robin at Bailey and the twins whose eyes were glued to the Story Almanac. "Wait," Hunter began, looking back and forth between the pedestal and her opposers. "You aren't here for this, are you? I'm sorry to disappoint, but it's not up for grabs."

Without missing a beat, Hunter launched her daggers at the four friends. Bailey quickly dropped her sword, outstretching her hands to block the knives with a forcefield of magic. The weapons clattered to the ground as Hunter hurled a burst of blood red magic at them.

Carolyn shoved Robin out of the way, her charm bracelet glowing as baby blue mist flowed from her hand, sending the red light off of its path. Robin fought off dozens of henchmen as the four girls faced off with a series of magical blasts.

Aura formed a ball of cobalt blue smoke in between her hands, preparing to fling it at Hunter. The twins watched as the defensive magic went hurtling towards the malevolent beauty. In a split second, Hunter unsheathed a sword from her belt.

Its grip was made of the finest bronze with a ruby in the pommel. A dragon carved out of emerald with diamonds for eyes entangled the blade and hilt with its mighty wings acting as the guard. The weapon deflected Aura's magic, sending it flying back towards her in a fiery rage. It collided with her stomach, sending her flying from her feet. Her body hit the forest floor in a painful impact, her back landing on a protruding tree root.

Carolyn rushed to her sister's side, abandoning the bright white forcefield she had been casting around herself.

Before Hunter could formulate her next move, her feet left the mossy forest floor as a bright blast of white magic hit her square in the chest. She flew back, her body forcefully colliding with the marble pedestal. Her fierce green eyes rolled to the back of her head as she slipped into unconsciousness.

Bailey panted from the magical outburst, fighting the urge to collapse where she stood. She ran to fight at Robin's side as Carolyn tended to her sister.

"Are you okay?" Carolyn asked in a panicked tone as Aura attempted to sit up.

"Oh yea, I'm just peachy." Aura's eyes scanned the clearing full of henchmen before landing on the unattended Story Almanac. She nodded her head in its direction. "Cora."

"I'm on it," Carolyn replied without missing a beat. She charged past Hun soldiers that Robin was fighting before reaching the pedestal. Her hands clumsily slipped her sword back into its sheath before delicately handling the blackened gem. Carolyn slipped the hefty object into her satchel before noticing more henchmen arriving in the distance. "Guys!" she called to her friends as they fought. "We need to get out of here now!"

Bailey knocked out the ogre she was battling before rushing to Aura and helping her to her feet. Robin, although cut up and bleeding, swiftly punctured a few more goons with his arrows before running to catch up with the girls.

The four friends ran faster than they ever had, with an increasing number of henchmen not far behind them. After they had been zigzagging through trees for some time, they finally lost the pack of lackeys.

Bailey quickly referenced their map again. "It shouldn't be long now until we reach the forest's edge, but we should keep running."

Before the injured four could pick up their pace, a bright bolt of lightning flung down from the skies, knocking them off of their feet. Sparks flew up from the burst of electricity as a ring of fire formed around Bailey, Robin, and the twins.

A thick, black cloud of smoke appeared on the other side of the flames, showcasing Queen Onyx as it faded from view. She stepped out of the dissipating mist, one hand clutching a jet-black wand. Her body was dressed in a skin-tight black gown, with a plunging neckline and gold detailing at the top. The dress flared outwards at her knees before flowing down to the forest floor. Onyx's raven black locks were curled tightly and wound up into an intricate bun laced with diamonds, a silver crown placed atop her head.

"Going somewhere?" Onyx asked with a devious smile.

Although they were exhausted, the four resumed their fighting stances.

Onyx rolled her eyes. Her gaze then focused on the twins. "My, my, aren't we mummy's little girls?" Her smile turned into a sneer. "You couldn't really tell when you were babies, but now the resemblance is uncanny."

The twins stayed silent, their grip on their swords tightening.

Onyx stuck out her bottom lip. "Oh, come now, is that how you greet your big sister? Your own flesh and blood? I know our last meeting wasn't the best, but this is no way to greet your family."

The twins' hearts stopped, their stances faltering.

Carolyn shook her head in confusion, her eyes narrowing. "You're lying."

The dark queen's face grew sour. "Believe me, I wish I was."

"Our dream...the visions in the water," Aura murmured.

Onyx's wicked smile returned to her face. "I guess someone was left out of the loop." She shrugged. "Don't worry—you won't be alive long enough to mope." In a flash she pointed her wand at the group, sending a vivid red blast their way.

The four quickly dove in opposite directions, the blast setting a group of trees behind them aflame.

Bailey pointed a hand towards the ring of fire that kept them held hostage. "Aqua super ignis," she shouted. She maneuvered her hands as the water vapor in the air morphed into large droplets before congealing into a ribbon of water. She whipped the stream of water towards the flames, putting them out in an instant.

The three girls dodged never-ending, oncoming attacks Onyx sent their way, shielding Robin with white forcefields.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you so hell-bent on giving the Villains what they want?" Carolyn yelled as she formed a ball of pure white magic.

"You ask that as if I have a choice. Do you really think that I could ever have any semblance of power if I listened to Mother Dearest my whole life?" Onyx effortlessly deflected Carolyn's blast with a wave of her wand. "I wouldn't be nearly as powerful as I am now."

"You have no power over us," Carolyn spat back.

The queen laughed to herself, the red flames in her hands dimming. "Are you sure about that?" Onyx raised one hand in the air gracefully, sending a trail of grey mist over Robin.

His pupils instantly shrank as his irises turned a dark maroon. He unsheathed his sword in a flash.

Aura let out a scream, ducking as he swung his sword at her head. She rolled away from his swings but quickly jumped to her feet to avoid an incoming blast of fiery magic.

Onyx maneuvered one hand as if she was playing with a puppet, while Robin's body moved as if he was being controlled by invisible strings.

Carolyn swung her sword in the air to block one of Robin's blows as Aura and Bailey cast bursts of colorful smoke at the queen.

Queen Onyx's wand shot an endless stream of shadowy lightning towards her sister and Bailey, causing them to create a wall of white magic in front of themselves as they slowly advanced towards her.

Robin sword sliced Carolyn's arm as she tried to dodge the weapon. She clutched the wound as blood flowed from it, giving Robin the chance to pin her to the ground, his blade against her throat.

Carolyn gasped for air underneath the cold metal. "Robin..." she trailed off, sending her final prayers to the heavens before he would inevitably take her life. The twinkle of familiarity was no longer distinguishable in his eyes, with all traces of affection faded from view. A million thoughts crossed her mind in that split second—would her friends get away from Onyx? Would Robin recover from killing her, even though it wasn't his fault? And what of Aura—would she move on after Carolyn had passed? Carolyn turned her head to catch one final glimpse of her sister...

Aura sprinted past the magical forcefield, running faster than she had once believed to be possible. Before Onyx could react with another burst of dark magic, Aura pushed the queen to the ground, causing her wand to fly out of her hand. In that instant, as the blackened scepter hit the forest floor, Robin slid the sharp metal away from Carolyn's throat.

The girl gasped for air, relieved to be free of the chokehold. Robin's dark red eyes returned to their usual jade green. He quickly helped Carolyn up from the forest floor, looking at her in a horrific realization of what he nearly did.

Across the clearing, Queen Onyx and her younger sister dashed towards the wand in the dirt, both of them desperate to reach it first. Aura's charm bracelet glowed brighter with each inch she moved towards the magical device, as if she was being drawn to the wand by some mystical force. She struck Onyx with a weak burst of blue smoke, sending her stumbling away from the wand. Before Aura's fingers could wrap around the queen's source of power, Bailey pulled her away, tugging her towards the edge of the Dark Forest.

"We've gotta go!" Bailey shouted over her shoulder. Robin wasn't far behind with Carolyn, though they were both significantly slowed down by the injuries they had sustained.

They mounted their horses the second they reached them, driving the steeds into a nimble gallop as they evaded the group of henchmen following them. The four friends rode northwest as quickly as they could manage towards a set of stone ruins in the far distance. After a few miles, the cronies and soldiers could no longer keep up, and were soon faded from view.

The twins, Bailey, and Robin led their two horses in a gallop until they reached a dilapidated castle made from limestone. The ground was blackened all around it, and the four could almost smell the fire that had once raged on across the field. The castle was surrounded by a system of stone brick homes, each in rougher shape than the last. Any wood that had supported the infrastructure of the buildings had long since burned to the ground, leaving behind small piles of rubble that had been eroded over the years.

Their horses made their way around the small cliff that the palace sat on top of, riding towards the castle's entrance.

"What is this place?" Aura asked sleepily, far from recovered from their altercation in the Dark Forest. Her anxiety overwhelmed her as she thought of the scene they had just fled from. How could Onyx be her sister? Why did Gran lie again? Aura knew that they still weren't out of the woods and was desperate to keep moving away from the dreary forest.

Although the castle had shattered windows and was in dreadful disrepair, it still towered above them. Its copper details had constructed a thick green overcoat after years in the constant sunlight. Beauty clung to it like a distant memory—a shadow of past greatness attached to each stone brick and worn wooden door.

The four tied their horses' reins to a wilted tree before hesitantly entering the palace. Like the countryside that surrounded it, every surface was stained an ashy black. The cracked, painted floors seemed to have been reclaimed by nature, with ivy and weeds sprouting from every crevice. The minuscule light from the overcast sky painted the entryway in cold, grey shadows.

Before Bailey could answer with what little she knew ofthe ruins, metal scraped together behind them as the unsheathing of a swordrang in their ears.

Hello lovelies!

Don't you just love a good ol' cliffhanger? We sure do!!
Did anyone figure out the twist about Onyx being the twins' sister? If you did, you get a cookie 🍪

Until next chapter!
♡ Melody & Rebekah ♡