#enna ayers

Oliver took a deep breath, today was the day. Now that the treaties of the kingdoms were voided, he finally had his chance. He still couldn’t believe that he had a date with his queen.

“Oliver dear, if you keep breathing like that, you’re going to send yourself into a panic attack.”

“I think we should let him. It’ll be hyst- Ow! Ruby!”

Ruby huffed, “Be nice, Liam! This is little Ollie’s chance to win over the love of his life! Some support wouldn’t kill you!”

Liam rolled his dark pink eyes, “I’m sure Queen Enna only agreed to the date out of pity, you weren’t there to see him flounder while asking her to dinner.”

Ruby’s light pink eyes narrowed as she moved to hit Liam again, “Shut your trap!”

Liam chuckled as he caught her arm, “Ha! Can’t hit me when I’m paying attention!”

Ruby smirked, “I’ll take that wager, brother dearest.”

Liam raised an orange brow in confusion but winced as a broom whacked the back of his head.

His eyes narrowed, “Magic is cheating! You took a cheap shot!” “Can you two quit it?!”

The two siblings glanced over at Oliver, who was on the verge of tears, “I’m already stressed about this whole ordeal! I don’t need your bickering as a distraction!”

Liam chuckled, “Aw Ollie, you really are nervous. I thought Rubs was exaggerating. Just relax kid, she wouldn’t waste her time if she wasn’t interested, I was teasing.”

Ruby rushed to Oliver’s side and began to straighten his jacket, “You look lovely dearie, I’m sure you’ll knock her royal socks off!”

Oliver frowned at his sister, “I just don’t want this to be a disaster. I’ve admired her for so long, and I really want things to work out… I mean, I’m just a servant, she’s a royal, how can I impress her?”

Liam rolled his eyes as he walked by his younger siblings, “Well you can whine, or you can get to that date and show her how much you adore her. I can’t listen to this blubbering anymore!”

Ruby glared at Liam before turning to Oliver, “He’s kind of got a point, Ollie. She agreed to go on this date, it’s your chance to be yourself and show her who you are. If she doesn’t want you for you, then you can’t be together, but you won’t know until you go out there.”

Oliver nodded hesitantly, “Thank you… Ok, I can do this! This will be the first of many dates!”

Ruby giggled as she watched Oliver rush out of the room, only to slam into the hallway wall. She hoped the date went well for her older brother, but he really was a mess over this. 

Liam chuckled from the hall before peaking into the room at Ruby, “He’ll be fine.”

Crossing her arms across her chest, Ruby scoffed, “Where was that helpful encouragement earlier?”

Liam rolled his eyes, “She has a crush on him Rubs, I couldn’t tell him that. Confidentiality and all that.”

Ruby quickly pulled Liam by his shoulders down to her, “How could you withhold that information from me?!”

Liam chuckled, shaking off her hold, “See you late, I’ve got things to do.”

Alice fell to her knees as her castle burned around her. Everything was gone, she’d lost everything. Centuries of her family, gone up in flames. There was nothing she could do. When the flames first started, she tried to put them out, but they were enchanted. She never learned the spell to counter enchanted flames. She had only been a child when her father was killed, she had barely learned how to control her magic the proper way.

“I guess this is it…”

Alice let out a small broken laugh, after all the war, all the battles, this was how she’d die. She wouldn’t fight it this time. She could finally rest. Standing to brush off the ash collecting on her gown, Alice walked over to the portrait on the wall before her. She sighed longingly, it had been the last portrait her father had painted of them before the war began. She missed them so much. Her pale hand reached out to touch them, if only she had studied more back then, she wondered if it would have made a difference that day.

“Queen Alice! Are you in here?”

Alice jumped at the sound, the voice was vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t place it. She turned to look around her, everyone else had escaped, she made sure of it.

“There you are! Come on, let’s get you out of here!”

Alice blinked at her savior, “Friedrich?! What are you doing here?!”

“As much as he’d love to answer your questions your majesty, this castle isn’t going to remain standing for much longer.”

“Yakiv? Wait, what’s going on? Where did you two come from?”

Friedrich quickly began to toss books from the shelves around them into his satchel, “Queen Enna and Prince Erik got your message.”

Alice sighed, of course her cousins would send help, “Look, I appreciate the help, but this is for the better. If I die here, the war is over. That’s what she wants.”

Yakiv rolled his tired eyes, “We don’t have time for you to have this death wish of yours.”

Alice glared up at him, “Leave me here. That’s an order. Get yourselves to safety.”

Yakiv roughly handed Friedrich his bag, “Sorry Queen Alice, but the Sweeney crown has no power over me. I serve the Ayers crown.”

He roughly picked up Alice, tossing her over his shoulder, “And my orders are to bring you to safety.”

Friedrich fumbled with the bags as he rushed behind Yakiv, “I don’t think Queen Enna meant like this Yakiv…”

Yakiv walked down the burning halls towards a mirror with a faint lavender glow around it, “Shut up and get through the mirror.”

Alice’s eyes widened as she looked at the mirror, “No! Yakiv, Enna isn’t strong enough for crossings!”