Work Text
Antonio Madrigal stared at the blank canvas, the brush hovering, the paint already drying up. When nothing came to mind, he dropped his hand, the paintbrush now on the table next to the jars of paint. “Mirabel, what am I supposed to paint?” Antonio asked his elder cousin, Mirabel, who was already halfway through her painting of the high mountains that surrounded the Encanto. “That’s all up to you, primo.”“But, what if I don’t have any good ideas?”“You have lots of good ideas. Your ideas.”Antonio rubbed his arm shyly. “I don’t know. Can’t you just tell me what to paint?”“And take away the best part?” Mirabel kneeled in front of her little cousin and placed her hand on his shoulder. “Antonio, you can create anything you imagine.”“I guess. But, what if I don’t like it?”Mirabel thought for a moment before standing upright again. “You know what, why don’t we take a short break. Come on.” Mirabel led Antonio back to their magical Casita. Once inside, Mirabel asked the sentient house to pull out a specific book from the family library room. “Thanks, Casita. Here it is.” Mirabel invited Antonio to sit next to him on the foot of the stairs. “Before the Encanto, Abuelo used to collect books from all over the world. Anything he could find, and Abuela has kept all of them right here. This one is one of my favorites. It’s about a boy who’s paintings saved his life.”Antonio’s eyes sparkled with interest.“But, you’re probably not that interested.” Mirabel teased, only for Antonio to start begging.“No, I wanna hear it, please!”“Okay, okay, you dragged it out of me.” Mirabel opened the book and started reading, transporting them into an entirely new world.“Long, long ago, in a time of castles, kings, and magic, there was a secret manor hidden deep in a dark forest. It was said that the woods were filled with dragons and all kinds of monsters. And even if you were brave enough go into the forest, you couldn’t see the manor.”“Why not?” Antonio asked. “Because it was hidden away behind a magic wall, which kept intruders out. And, more importantly, kept a young boy hidden inside.“
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Do you hear that, Adrien? It’s my tummy rumbling. Oh, I feel faint. I think I see a tunnel.” Adrien only laughed at Plagg’s overly dramatic display. The cat fairy had a bottomless pit of a stomach. Adrien often wondered if it was just his fae biology or if he just really had no self control.“Alright, Plagg, alright. Wouldn’t want anyone dying on my watch.” Adrien reached for the platter of snacks; slices of bread, grapes and half eaten apple and cheese. Adrien cut a slice and tossed it into the air. Plagg flew up and caught the cheese mid flight. He rubbed his furry tummy, satisfied.“Now if you wouldn’t mind, I’m almost finished.” Adrien moved his brush with the elegance of a dancer as he added the silver lining on the clouds that floated above the oceanside. “Great, now I’m getting seasick.” Adrien’s third, and oldest friend, always knew what to say when it came to his art. “Did ya have to paint the ocean? You know water is the second thing I hate most in the world.”Rayla was a moonshadow elf, which weren’t native to this region. She had long silvery hair that shimmered like moonlight, lavender colored almond shaped eyes, pointy ears, four fingers on each hand, and two curvy horns protruding from her head. She wore a slim yet armored outfit consisting of blues, teals and hints of violet. She and Adrien knew each other since they were little and were like brother and sister.“Sorry, Rayla. I couldn’t help it. I had a dream I was walking along a beach just like this one.”Rayla studied the painting and, despite feeling a tad queasy, she had to admit her adopted little brother sure knew how to capture the realism and dream-like experience that was walking along a beach. Rayla did enjoy the sand and looking for seashells, so long as she stayed clear of the water itself she was fine. She hadn’t been to a beach in years. Not since she was only eight-years-old.“Nausea aside, you’re still got the magic touch, little brother.” Rayla said, ruffling Adrien’s golden spiky hair. He had vibrant green eyes that seemed to almost sparkle whenever he got excited about something. “Thanks, Ray.” Adrien admired his finished piece. “One day, I’m gonna walk on a beach just like this. And see nothing but open sky for miles and miles.Rayla flinched, her ears flickering, detecting the distant sound of horse trots. “Oh, no.”Plagg groaned. “Don’t tell me she’s back already.”Adrien frantically got up from his stool, nearly knocking his painting over until he and Rayla caught it. “Go on ahead, I’ll put your stuff away.” Rayla said, grabbing the white apron Adrien took off and tossed it to her. Adrien hurried down the stairs while the sounds of trotting grew closer. Deep in the woods where the sun dared not shine, a cloaked figure stretched out her hand, with a silvery wand she revealed the opening into the secret manor. She kicked her horse, more so than she needed and the tired mammal galloped through before the wall closed up again, leaving the illusion of a large boulder covered in old dead trees with branches that stretched like the bony fingers of a hag.Adrien readied the tray with tea and cups, dusted his cloths and adjusted his hair. He took in a deep breath, straightened his posture and approached the door, the clicking of heals making his heart race in anxiety, praying to the heavens she would find everything perfect as usual.Once the doors opened, the owner of the manor removed her cloak to reveal a middle aged woman with pale skin, dark colored lips and slender gray eyes. Her raven hair with hues of blue bounced as she moved her head with an air of vanity. She wore a long, slender green dress with very long sleeves, and a white high collar with a dead cobra scarf. The tips of both the collar and the ends of the dress, and her sleeves, resembled the points of bate wings.Once Rayla and Plagg finished cleaning up Adrien’s things, they hurried to the interior balcony, hiding from the lady’s view to make sure Adrien wouldn’t get unfairly punished. Adrien bowed. “How was your ride today, Lady Shuriki?” He extended his hand and Shiriki gave him her cloak.“Invigorating.” Shuriki? walked past the boy with her pointy chin lifted. “I expect my tea in five minutes. That won’t be a problem for you, will it?”“No, My Lady.”Shuriki approached the stairs but then turned around, examining the boy. “I better not see a repeat of yesterday’s mistakes. You steeped that tea for six minutes, I expect six and a half, no more, no less.”From the corner of his eye, he noticed Rayla trying to quietly get his attention, continuously pointing at her cheek. Plagg made the same gesture, but Adrien couldn’t comprehend what they were saying.“Um, of course, My Lady.The ‘dead’ cobra around Shuriki’s neck sprung to life. He was never really dead, only sleeping. “And bring me a snack, would you?” The cobra said, emphasizing the ‘s’ as most snakes did. This cobra was named Ushari, Shuriki’s beloved pet.“How about that little kitty friend of yours? He’d make a tasty morsel.”Plagg gulped and floated beneath Rayla’s hair, shivering. Rayla rolled her eyes. Plagg was a literal fairy with magical powers, yet he was the biggest cowered she had ever met. Rayla locked eyes with Shuriki, rather than shrink back in fright, Rayla stared back, matching the detest expression on the witch’s face.Shuriki ignored Rayla’s nonverbal threats. After all, she knew there was nothing the little elf could do. Not really.Shuriki then zeroed in on a blot of paint on Adrien’s cheek. “I see you’ve been painting again. Haven’t you, boy?”Adrien gasped. That’s what Rayla and Plagg were trying to tell him. He should have washed his face. How could he make such a simple mistake. Shuriki hated whenever Adrien found time to paint. More painting meant he’d be behind on his chores. “If you could find time for your little hobby, surely you found the time to do your work around the house. Did you finish any of them?”“Of course.” Adrien replied, wiping the paint from his face with the back of his wrist.“Did you? Did you make the beds? Sweep the floors? Weed the garden?”“Yes.”“Beat the rugs, wax the tables, polish the silver?”“Yes, My Lady.”“Wash and mend my garments.”“Folded and put away, Madam.”Shuriki didn’t like that hint of a smile on the boy’s face. She took another step and heard a creek beneath her heel. “Did you hear that? You’re supposed to keep the house in perfect order.”“I didn’t know—”“It’s your job to know!” Shuriki’s voice boomed inside the room, bouncing off the walls. Adrien reeled back, hanging his head and folding his hands behind his back. Shuriki dramatically sighed, placing the back of her hand against her forehead. “I ask for so little of you. I made the sacrifices necessary to raise you and this is the thanks I get?”Rayla muttered, “I swear, if she starts singing…”“Well, you’re lucky I’m such a forgiven sorceress. But, if you slug off on your responsibilities again, don’t think I won’t inflict the appropriate punishment. Am I clear?”Adrien kept his eyes to the polished floor. He inhaled and exhaled slowly. “Yes, My Lady.”“Good boy.” (~) Rayla slammed her fist on the table. “That witch. I’ll give her something to drink.” She was about to spit into the tea, but Adrien quickly covered her mouth.“Don’t even think about it.” Adrien warned, taking the tray away from her.“Wouldn’t be the first time.” Rayla whispered. “Come on, Ray. It could have been a lot worse.” “Yeah. I could have bitten her head off. Don’t think I’ve never thought of it.”“I don’t doubt it.” Adrien grabbed the teapot and hung it on a hook above the fireplace to heat it up. He moved the wood with a stick, but the fire was too low. “Hang on, let me help.” Rayla offered.“Just be very carefully, Rayla.”Rayla inhaled deep, reaching in deep for the fire deep in her system and when she blew, all that came was a tiny flicker of fire, barely enough to heat up the tea in time.“Ah, come on!”“It was a good try, Ray.” Adrien said.“Bet your dad could have done it better.” Plagg said before burping. He was floating above the cabinet, being his typical lazy self, while munching on more cheese.“He’s not my dad!” Rayla’s pupils became slits for a brief moment before returning to normal. Adrien put a supportive hand on her back. “Thanks anyway, Rayla. You’re getting better.”Rayla folded her arms. “What does it matter, anyway? I’m a moonshadow elf, I shouldn’t be able to breath fire.”“Yet, here we are.” Plagg flopped another cheese into his mouth. Rayla snarled at the fairy cat, frightening him.“But so long as you have these powers, might as well use them, right?” Adrien said.“I guess.”“Please. The day she embraces that dragon side is the day I dance on the moon.”“I can make that happen a lot faster, you little pest!” Rayla’s canines became sharp and she started chasing Plagg around the kitchen. Plagg jumped onto the head of a gargoyle, and squeaked when the head dropped. He jumped away and Rayla and Adrien gasped.“Great, ya broke the gargoyle.” Rayla complained.“Me? You’re the one who tried to eat me!” Plagg pointed his paw at the elf.“I wasn’t going to eat you, I was just—”The trio became silent when the gargoyle’s head started to creek and the floor made a strange, almost mechanical sound. Adrian, Rayla and Plagg’s jaws dropped when a hidden stairway appeared before their eyes.“I…did not see that coming.” Rayla said, still dumbfounded. “How did we not know about this?” Plagg asked.“I wonder where it goes.” Adrien wondered, staring into the dark pathway. Without a second thought, he had already walked three steps towards the stairway.“Uh, hello! What about Shuriki’s tea?” Plagg reminded him.“We still have a few minutes. Come on, who knows what we’ll find down there.”Plagg rolled his eyes “Yeah, looks really inviting.” He meowed in protest when Rayla grabbed his tail and dragged him down the staircase with Adrien leading the way.“No, no, this is a bad idea! Do you have any idea what Shuriki will do to us if she finds out?”“Then we won’t tell her.” Rayla said smugly. “But, if you wanna stay up here and be that snake’s dinner, that’s fine by me.”That was enough to get Plagg to tag along, if only so he wouldn’t run into that cobra who’s always trying to sneak a bite into his furry bottom. (~) The stairway wasn’t too deep and the trio reached the bottom rather quickly. A secret basement had all kinds of nicknacks, books and wooden chests. It wasn’t all that impressive, and judging by the cobwebs, hadn’t been used in quite some time.“This place looks ancient.” Adrien said, opening a wooden chest. Inside was a mountain of scrolls. He unfolded one, surprised to read that it was a fancy invitation, complete with a seal that looked like the head of a unicorn. Adrien unfolded another, and it just like the first one, it was another invitation, this time to a tea party.“They’re all invitations.” He said, astonished. “To balls, galas, jamborees.”Rayla laughed, “Seriously? Who’d want to invite Shuriki to a party?“She probably stole them from someone who was invited.” Plagg joked, a joke Rayla found funny enough to share a fist/paw bump with the black fairy cat.Adrien didn’t find it very funny. “Come on, guys.”“What? We all know the old crone’s a nasty piece of work.” Plagg said.Adrien re-read the invitations. “But, someone cared enough to invite her to these things. Maybe she wasn’t always like this.”“I’ll never understand why you defend her.” Rayla found a portrait of, what she could only assume, was a much, much, much, MUCH younger Shuriki dancing with a man who’s face had been torn off!“I mean, look at this. Woman’s clearly got some issues.”“Yikes. I wouldn’t want to be in that guy’s boots.” Plagg said.“Or his head.” Rayla added.Adrien took the portrait, and was bewildered at the very thing he never thought he’d see. Shuriki actually smiling. “She was… happy. What could have happened?” Adrien kept searching, hoping to find some clue as to what led to Shuriki’s current state in life. Rayla and Plagg had their reasons to dislike his guardian. Rayla especially. But, she did raise Adrien, and he couldn’t really take that lightly, could he?He found a lovely old box and blew away the dust, coughing a bit when some slipped into his throat. The book didn’t have a lock, so he opened it easily. Music started playing, revealing that it was in fact a music box. Inside was a dagger. A beautiful, sterling silver dagger with a hilt that was engraved with the symbol of the sun. Adrien picked it up, carefully, and was…enthralled. The craftsmanship was beautiful, clearly the work of a master artist. It felt comfortable to hold, almost as if it had been made specifically for his hands. There were some words engraved on it. “Plus est en vous.” He read aloud. “Look, there’s more on the lid of the box.” Rayla pointed to the words. Adrien read them aloud as well. “Constant as the stars above, always know that you are loved. To our shinning sun, Adrien, on his first birthday. Love forever, mother and father.”Adrien was stunned silent and almost dropped to the floor until he caught a chair. He felt his head spinning. The words repeating in his head.“Mother and Father? But, that’s impossible. Shuriki said she found me when I was only a few days old.”“Well, clearly, that’s not true.” Rayla said. She took another chair and sat beside her little brother. “Adrien, do you know what this means? You have a family.”“I…I have a family?”“That explains why the old hag didn’t want anybody down her.” Plagg said. Speaking of the banshee… “Adrien!”The blond boy flinched at the sound of his mistress. But, how could he face her now? Knowing what he knows. He had to find out more.“We have to come back.” Adrien told Rayla and Plagg, before responding to Shuriki that he would be there shortly.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Adrien hesitated from knocking on the door. After what he had just uncovered how could he face Shuriki after uncovering such a huge secret? He had to. There had to be a reason why she kept this from him all these years, and if she wasn’t going to tell him, then he was going find out on his own.Amping the courage, he knocked. He carried the tray of tea and cookies with both hands, using his body to push through the door and into the lavish sweet of his mistress. Shuriki was already laying on her bed, tapping her hand on her knee impatiently. “What took you so long?”“I’m sorry, I was…distracted.” Adrien placed the tray on the table next to the bed.“Lazy, you mean.” Shuriki said, taking a sip of tea. “Adequate. Good to know you’re not a complete failure.”Ordinarily, Adrien would be able to stomach her insults, but today, he wasn’t sure if he could stomach anything she said. She had lied to him. What else had she lied about?Ushari slithered up Shuriki’s lap. “The Mistress is ready for her nap. Step to it, boy.”Adrien fought the urge to roll his eyes at the cobra, but managed to do so when his back was turned while he closed the curtains, shutting off the natural light. Adrien hated the dark, not because it scared it, but because it was so depressing. So lonely.“Will there be anything else?” Adrien asked Shuriki, standing up straight as a statue.“No. You may go don’t disturb me until dinner.”“Yes, My Lady.” Adrian bowed and left the room. Ushari slithered up Shuriki’s shoulders and covered her eyes with his tail like a sleeping mask. Ushari sensed something was off about the boy. He hissed suspiciously. (~) As he promised himself, Adrien returned to the secret chamber, examining the blade and reading its engraving over and over until it was engraved into his mind. “If this is true, then what happened to my parents?”“I bet she ate them.”“Plagg!” Rayla chastised the fairy cat.“What? Would you really put it past her.”“That’s not funny, Plagg.” Adrien narrowed his eyes. He really wasn’t in the mood for jokes. “Well, if your parents really are out there, all the more reason for you to leave this place and go find them.” Rayla suggested.“I can’t just leave. What about the wall? None of us can leave.”“Draco can.” Rayla said. “He can fly over it no problem. That way we can all be free of that witch.”“You know it’s not that simple, Rayla. She has Draco under a magic contract. If he leaves she’ll destroy him. And if he gets hurt…”“So do you, bright eyes.” Plagg said, folding his paws. “Perks of sharing a dragon heart.”Rayla groaned, throwing her head back, frustrated. “I curse the day he ever made a deal with that witch.” She kicked a bookshelf, but underestimated her new dragon strength and it tumbled over, making a large mess. “Oops.” Rayla pushed the shelf up, but the fall had created a hole on the floor.“Happy? How are we supposed to fix this?” Plagg asked.“Don’t worry, we’ll think of something.” Adrien said, peeking into the hole. He held up a candle over the shadowy abyss. “Mm. That’s weird.” He boldly jumped into the hole, candle in hand. “It’s a tunnel!” Adrien shouted from bellow.“Great. Now how are we supposed to get you out of there?” Rayla said.Adrien noticed the flame flicker and he sniffed the damp air. Staying perfectly still he self a subtly brush against his cheeks.“There’s a draft. The tunnel must lead somewhere.” Adrien thought about going further, following the whispering winds but then hesitated. “Maybe this isn’t a good idea.”“There’s the understatement of the century.” Plagg said, hovering above the hole.“As much as I love a good mystery, maybe you should climb back up here, little brother.” Rayla outstretched her hand, ready to pull Adrien back up.Adrien switched back and fourth between the tunnel and Rayla’s hand. If he went back up he’d be stuck with a dead end. Nothing else in the secret chamber held any clues as to who or where his parents were. If they were even still alive. What if Plagg was right and Shuriki did something to them? If this tunnel really did lead to the outside…what if…?“Oh, no. I know that face.” Rayla groaned. “I hate it when he makes that face.”“Rayla, what if you’re right. What if the only way I can find out the truth is by going out there? Beyond the wall?”“Are you pulling my whiskers, kid?” Plagg floated through the hole and gave Adrien a smack in the face with his paw. “What if Shuriki finds out.”“She’ll be asleep until dinner. I’ll be back before them. Come on, Plagg. This could be my only chance.”“Well then, count me in.” Rayla was about to jump until Adrien stopped her.“No, Rayla. You and Plagg stay here. If Shuriki wakes up early send Plagg to come and find me.”“How am I supposed to do that?” Plagg asked, annoyed. “I can’t teleport unless I know where you are.”Adrien smirked and revealed he had a secret stash of cheese inside the pocket of his white jacket. “I think you’ll be able to find me anywhere.”Plagg’s mouth started to water at the sight of the cheese. Before he could grab it, Rayla yanked on his tail and pulled him back up.“Okay, but I swear, if you die, I’ll kill you.”Adrien saluted and felt another wisp of air. He headed deeper and deeper through the tunnel, the winds growing louder and louder. A couple of rats sprung up on him, but Adrien held it together. Maybe bringing Plagg along wasn’t such a bad idea. He certainly would have devoured these mice in a heartbeat. Then, Adrien heard something he had only heard outside his window. Birds. Actual singing birds. They were coming from above. Adrien rushed towards the melodic sound and found a plight of spiraling stairs with a ray of sunshine peeking through from the ceiling. Bravely, he climbed up and once he reached the top he saw a large open door. He was temporarily blinded by the radiant sunlight but once his eyes adjusted he breathed in the fresh smell of oak trees and grass. The bird songs were closer than ever, as tiny bluebirds flew past him. Adrien left the candle near the opening and as he stepped further out he realized the opening was camouflaged as a large rock. He was surprised no one else had managed to find it. Then again, only fools would travel this deep into the forest.Adrien tried to see if he could find any trace of the manor, but all he could see were miles and miles of mountains. He wished he had his paintbrush right about now so he could capture this moment. He traveled ahead, over a hilltop. Off on the horizon, only a short walk from where he stood, was a shimmering castle with spiraling white towers and golden roofs and balconies. Bellow the castle was a most adorable village Adrien had ever seen. Granted, it was the very first village Adrien had ever seen that wasn’t from the pages of a book. Adrien traversed down the hill and towards the village. He was greeted by the most astonishing sight.The people of the village were all riding real, living, breathing…Unicorns! Everywhere Adrien looked, there was a unicorn galloping through the streets like any other resident. Some were accompanied by riders, others simply trotted by themselves, snacking on the nearby apples and berries, which the shopkeepers were more than happy to share. Children ran through, giggling with their little foals. Each unicorn was unique with different coat colors, markings and multicolored hair. Some wore elaborate saddles, accompanied by people with hairs that were streaked with rainbow colors.One unicorn and its rider greeted Adrien, and he waved in response. He stopped in front of a nearby bakery, where a girl with dark hair tied into two separate pigtails with red streaks, handing out macaroons to any passerby. Her unicorn was a bright red with a dark mane and black spots, making her appear like a ladybug.“Good morning, sir.” The girl greeted Adrien, offering him a macaroon. Adrien had never tried a macaroon before. They were like tiny cakes decorated with different colors. When he took a bite, he was so enamored with the taste he impulsively went in for another one.“Whoa, easy, there. And I thought my boyfriend Luka had an appetite.”Adrien blushed. “Sorry. Your boyfriend’s got good taste. I’m Adrien.”“Marinette. And this is Tiki.” She introduced her unicorn, who whinnied and nuzzled Adrien’s cheek.“Nice to meet you. Um, if you don’t mind me asking, what is this place?”“You don’t know?” Marinette asked.“I’m kind of from out of town.”Marinette and Tiki exchanged concerned looks. “Um, where are you from, exactly?”“Not that far. I don’t get out much.”Marinette appeared to accept this answer, sighing in relief. “Well, welcome to the kingdom of Alicorn. Home of the unicorn riders.”“Eveyrone here is a unicorn rider?”“Pretty much. See, our kingdom runs on unicorn magic, which can only be activated when a human bonds with a unciorn. Tiki here has the power of creation.”Tiki showed this by lighting her horn and out came a cupcake which floated over to Adrien. “Whoa. That’s amazing. Is that why eveyrone has colorful hair?”“It’s a sign of a bond. It mostly happens when you’ve come of age. Around thirteen.”Adrien had never heard of anything so amazing. The idea of bonding with an animal like that sounded like a fairytale. He wondered if it was possible if he could bond with a unciorn one day? Probably not, since he wasn’t from here. A voice from inside the bakery called out for Marinette. “Coming, Papa! I gotta go. It was nice meeting you, Adrien.”“You too, Marinette. Tiki.” Adrien gave a gentlemanly bow, making Marinette and Tiki giggle before walking inside. Apparently unicorns were permitted inside establishments alongside their riders.At least Adrien made two new friends today. And he now had a cupcake.Adrien explored the village, taking in every sight, smell and sound. His journey took him towards a long archway, where the castle stood on the other side of a long stone bridge. Unicorn riders trotted across, not giving much attention to Adrien as he walked by. (~) Rayla was getting anxious, pacing over and over in the kitchen, muttering to herself. “He’s fine, he’s probably fine, right? I mean, Adrien’s a tough kid, he can take care of himself. Of course, he’s never been on his own before. Maybe I should have gone with him. What am I saying? Of course I should have! What was I thinking?!”“Ouch!” Plagg rubbed his tail after Rayla had stepped on it. “Would you knock it off? Look, if it’ll make you stop pacing like a mad-woman, I’ll go and find him for ya.”Hearing this made Rayla sigh in relief. “Thank you. I don’t know if I can take another minute of—” Rayla froze, her ears wiggling. “What? Is the witch waking up?”Rayla shook her head. “No. Worse. He’s here.”Plagg’s ears dropped. “Ooooh.” (~) Rayla stepped outside of the manor with Plagg floating beside her. A great shadow loomed overhead and a larger than life dragon landed in front of her. The dragon had scales that shimmered like bronze and large brown eyes. Rayla greeted the dragon with minimal enthusiasm.“Hey, Draco.”“Is everything alright, little one?” “Fine. Why wouldn’t it?” Rayla kept her arms folded, not looking the dragon in the eye. Feeling the tension, Plagg decided the best course of action would be to excuse himself.“Um, I think I hear Adrien calling.” Plagg curled into a ball and disappeared in a patch of black smoke. “Have you been practicing your skills?” Draco asked.“Yeah. I have.”“Alright, then.” Draco flapped his wings, happily. “Show me your progress.” He encouraged.Rayla sighed and simply coughed out a speck of fire which evaporated instantly once it hit the floor.“Come on, Rayla. You can do better than that.”“What’s the point? Not like I’ll ever get the chance to use these powers.”“One must be prepared for anything. Remember what I taught you; A dragon is sworn to valor.”“His might defends the weak, yeah, yeah, I know the dragon code already.”Draco had dealt with this conversation before. Rayla wasn’t happy that the once noble dragon had sold his services to the Shuriki.“Rayla, I know you’re not happy with this arrangement, but in life we must make sacrifices for those we love.”“Sacrifice? Was sacrificing your soul worth the two of us being trapped behind this stupid wall slaving for that conceited hag?”“This wall keeps us safe. Don’t you remember how it was before? My kind was hunted to extinction, and if anything happened to me, then you would have died along with me.”“At least we both would have died free.”“Do not speak so lightly of death, child!” Draco bared his teeth. “What you were given is a gift. A second chance at life, for both of us.” “It doesn’t have to be this way. I know there are no more dragons where you are from, but there are more still out there. I’ve read about this place called Xadia, where humans and dragons live side by side, with elves. We could finally be with our own kind. We just have to find a way out of Shuriki’s contract.”Draco hung his head. “I’m afraid it’s far too late.” Draco lowered his head, his once inches from the small elf. She was enveloped by the kindness in his eyes.“I can’t break the binding, but know that I only did it to keep you alive. Everything I’ve ever done was to keep you alive.”Rayla looked away. “I know you did. But that doesn’t change that we’re both prisoners now. We may be alive, but if you keep doing everything she says, then neither of us will be free.”Rayla turned away and marched back into the manor, shutting the door behind her, leaving a dejected Draco to fly off. Behind the door, Rayla broke down into tears.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Adrien explored the castle gardens. Trees with pink cherry blossoms were in full bloom. He heard galloping and hid behind a tree, hoping he wouldn’t get caught for sneaking into the garden. A unciorn with star symbols along her sides and a rainbow mane trotted along the garden with a little boy with dark brown hair and olive toned skin ridding on her back.“Whoa, there, Wild Star. Easy, girl.” The little boy dismounted the unciorn, grabbing a basket from her saddle. Adrien observed as the little boy gathered apples from the trees. He handed one to the unicorn, named Wild Star. The boy ran towards another tree, then screamed when the ground beneath him gave way, revealing a hidden trap. Wild Star whinnied in fright and galloped over towards the boy. “Help!”Adrien acted quickly and ran over to grab the boy, hanging onto a weak branch, which was breaking due to his weight. “Help, me! Please!”“Grab onto my hand!” Adrien called out, stretching out. The unciorn whinnied and offered to help Adrien. She lip up her horn and with a stomp of her hooves formed a rainbow bridge. Adrien tested it with his food. It was solid light. He didn’t even think that was possible. He snapped out of his wonderment when the boy screamed again. Adrien slid down the rainbow bridge and stopped right beside the boy.“Just reach out, I’ll grab you.”The boy stretched out his arm towards Adrien, but the branch gave way. Adrien grabbed the boy’s arm, pulling him up, but the rainbow light flickered. Wild Star’s magic was growing weak, without her rider she wasn’t nearly as powerful.Adrien heard a voice from above the hole. “Come on, Wild Star!”The rainbow bridge hardened again and it hoisted Adrien and the boy back to the surface. Adrien released the boy who was caught by a girl, now ridding the unicorn. Adrien landed on his rump on the grass, seeing the girl embrace the little boy.“Marco, when I said you could take Wild Star for a ride, I didn’t mean into a hole.”“I didn’t see it, I swear.”The girl examined the hole, tugging on the unciorn’s reigns to step back. Wild Star’s ears pressed back against her head, stomping her hoof in anger. Her rider patted the side of her neck.“It’s okay, girl. He’s safe now.” Seeing the blond boy on the ground, the rider dismounted Wild Star and pulled Adrien to his feet. Adrien was struck silent. The girl bared a strong resemblance to the boy, no doubt they were siblings, but her beauty was unmatched. Her violet eyes carried a sense of strength and intelligence that Adrien couldn’t help but admire, and her long dark brown hair was streaked with rainbows. She wore a very colorful riding outside, complete with a golden leather jacket and a crystal star necklace. “Thank you for saving my little brother.”“Uh…” Adrien cleared his throat. “Thank you for saving me.”Wild Star whinnied and nuzzled Adrien’s cheek the same way Tiki did. “I think Wild Star likes you.” The girl said, then helped her brother onto the saddle. “Can you take him back home, girl? Make sure he’s safe.”Wild Star obeyed and galloped along. The boy, Marco, shouted, “Thank you!” Adrien waved, “You’re welcome.” He looked to the female rider. “Are they gonna be okay?”“They should be fine. So, where’s your unciorn?”Adrien froze. “I…I don’t have one. I’ve never really been here before.”The rider eyed Adrien suspiciously. “You’re not from Corona, are you?”“Corona?”“The kingdom nearby. No doubt they’re the ones responsible for that.” She pointed towards the hidden trap that nearly took her little brother. “Why would they be?”The girl examined Adrien. He didn’t appear to be lying. In fact, he looked about as innocent as a newborn kitten. Plus, he did try to save Marco’s life, and nobody from Corona would do that for someone from Alicorn.“The kingdom of Corona claims that Alicorn committed a crime against them fifteen years ago.”“Did they?” Adrien asked.“Of course not!”“But, if it didn’t happen can’t the two kingdom’s kingdoms talk it out?”“Talk it out?” The girl laughed, but stopped seeing the disheartened look in the boy’s bright green eyes, as green as the forest itself. “Oh. You’re serious.”“Why wouldn’t I be? If Alicorn didn’t do anything wrong then why fight at all.”“The king and queen of Alicorn tried to explain, but Corona just won’t believe them. The only way to end the feud now is through force.”“And how does that help? I mean, you saw what this feud almost did to your brother. Sounds to me like figthing is just causing more problems.”The rider tilted her head to the side. She had never heard anyone try and see both sides of the argument before. It was always easier to blame one side over the other. “Well, if we’re being honest here, I’m really a not a big fan of all this figthing either.”“See? Nobody likes it.”The rider giggled. “You’re a pretty odd dude, you know that.”“Oh.” Adrien blushed, scratching the back of his neck and looking away, ashamed. “Not in a bad way. Odd is kind of cool.”Adrien’s mood changed from embarrassed to bashful. “Thanks. You’re pretty cool too.”The rider tucked a stray hair behind her ear. Wild Star whinnied from a distance. “I’ll be right back.” She promised and rushed over towards her unciorn. “Kid!”Adrien screamed when Plagg appeared in front of him. “Ya gotta hurry! Shuriki will be waking up any minute!”“What? How did it get so late? But wait, I haven’t asked—”“No time, let’s go!” Plagg kept shoving Adrien ahead and, with no other choice, Adrien ran off, heading back along the bridge. He looked back to see the rider and her unciorn looking for him. As much as Adrien wanted to stay, he needed to go back. (~)Once Adrien returned to the manor, Rayla couldn’t stop squeezing him, and with her added dragon strength the poor boy would have died from lack of oxygen. “Where have you been? What did you do? Did something bite you?”“Relax, Rayla. I’m okay. I’m…better than okay.”“Really?” Rayla’s worries melted, making way towards curiosity. “What did you see?”“Everything! All the people, the castle, the food, the unicorns!”“Unicorns? Seriously?”“Yeah. Eveyrone had one. This girl at the bakery told me all about it. How humans and unicorns form a bond to activate the unicorn magic. But the best part is…I met someone.”“The pastry girl?” Plagg asked.“No, she had a boyfriend. Someone else.” (~) (~) Shuriki worked her magic to get rid of the wrinkles on her face and Ushari slithered up her chair. “Oh, Mistress, have I got some gossip for you.”“Adrien getting g into trouble again?”“Oh, you don’t know the half of it. You know the village nearby?”Ushari didn’t get any farther than that for Shuriki to connect the dots. She stood up from her chair, which made an unpleasant screeching noise.“What?! Adrien was in the village? How?”“He found the tunnel, bellow the basement.” Ushari continued. “But that’s not the best part. He was talking to—” (~) “The most beautiful girl I’d ever seen.”“And you’ve met how many girls, exactly?” Plagg said, earning a smack in the head from Rayla.“You guys should have seen her. She was brave, and kind, and strong…” Adrien stared out into the window, picturing her face in the sky. “She was amazing.”“Oooh, sounds like somebody’s got a crush.” Rayla said excitedly. “So, what was her name?”Adrien dropped his dreamily smile. “I…I don’t know. I didn’t get a chance to ask.” (~) “Unfortunately, I didn’t catch that juicy little detail.”Shuriki’s face crinkled with a bubbling rage and threw her bottle of perfume at the wall. “I need to know who that girl is. This could ruin everything!” (~) “Maybe tomorrow I can visit again.” Adrien said, already picturing the second time he and the girl would meet.“Have you lost it?” Plagg hovered right in front of Adrien’s face, grabbing his cheeks with his paws. “Ya meet one girl and now all common sense goes out the window?”“Typical.” Rayla rolled her eyes, still smiling. Her ears flicked again and she gasped. “Oh, no. Shuriki!”The doors opened and in walked Shuriki with Ushari on her shoulders. “Did we have a nice little trip today?”Adrien froze. How did she know about his visit to the village? He noticed Ushari’s boastful smile, and he had his answer. Ratted out by a snake.“After everything I have done, after all I’ve given you this is how you repay me? By sneaking off?”“But, why didn’t you tell me about the village? And, it’s so close by.”“I did it for you. To protect you from the evil there.”“Evil? But eveyrone was so nice.”“Yes, I’m sure they were.” Shuriki circled Adrien like a shark, hands behind her back. “I heard you met someone. Someone…special. Who was she?”“I…I don’t know.”“Don’t play games with me, boy!” Shuriki marched towards Adrien and he fell back against the foot of his bed. “I’m telling the truth. I never got to ask for her name.”“Maybe I’m not making myself CLEAR!” Shuriki screeched. Adrien gulped when the witch smiled. It was nothing like the adoring, happy smile from the portrait in the basement. No. This smile carried nothing but malice.Shuriki pulled out her wand and with a flick of her wrist levitated all of Adrien’s finished paintings, of the beach, of the forest, of the mountains, of his friends, all of it. “No, Shuriki, please!” Adrien’s pleads were ignored and watched helplessly at his creations being destroyed before his eyes.“When I ask a question, I expect an answer,” Shuriki waved her hand and destroyed all of Adrien’s paints and brushes.“But he said he doesn’t know!” Rayla intervened, staring down at the witch. “Watch your tounge, elf. Don’t forget, if you cross me, you and your dragon daddy will face my full wrath. This was only a sneak preview of what I can do to both of you.”This thread was enough to make Rayla silent, but not fully complacent. She refused to show fear in front of the witch. “If neither of you won’t tell me, then perhaps your little kitty cat will.” Shuriki shot a green energy at Plagg, trapping him in green energy vines that crackled like lightning. “Hey! Let me go!”“Please, stop!” Adrien jumped in front of Shuriki and the captured Plagg. The witch released the cat fairy and he rushed towards Rayla, scooping him up in her arms.“They don’t know anything, I swear.” Adrien looked to Rayla and nodded towards the window. Rayla read the message and she jumped out the window, acrobatically landing outside with Plagg still in her arms. “I always knew they would be a bad influence on you.” Shuriki said. “That’s why I always say friends are overrated.”“Why are you doing this? What did I ever do to you? You can’t keep me locked away from the world forever.”“Oh, can’t I? Watch me.”Shuriki released a large pulse of magic, pushing Adrien against the wall, which began to stretch upwards. The door to his room disappeared and the entire room was hoisted higher and higher, transformed into a tower with no way out aside from the windows, and unless Adrien could grow wings, there was no way out.Shuriki called out, “Draco!”The dragon arrived at her command. As he came closer, a glowing green collar formed around his neck, tightening as a reminder of who he served. Wether he liked it or not.“Enjoy your time alone.” Shuriki said, lifting her chin. “I’m sure it will refresh your memory. When I come back, I want a name. In the meantime, clean up this mess.” She pointed to the destroyed paintings, brushes and pains all over the floor. Adrien lost the feeling in his legs and his knees fell to the floor.Shuriki mounted onto Draco’s back. “It appears our little Adrien has an adventurous spirit. See to it he stays put.”Draco hung his head. “As you wish, Mistress.”“Or else.” She sent an electric shock through Draco’s collar, and from bellow, Rayla felt the surge of pain coursing through her body. The bond she and Draco shared allowed them to feel each other’s pain. She watched helplessly as Draco carried the witch to wherever she wished.Adrien held his broke brushes in his hand, mourning the loss of his most priced possessions.“Why?…why?”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Sophia rode Wild Star through the palace gardens, being greeted by her fellow riders as she trotted by. She screamed when a bold of lightning nearly singed her hair. Wild Star bucked in fright until Sophia calmed her.“Callum’s at it again.”“Oops. Sorry, Princess!” A young boy about Sophia’s age with brown hair, green eyes and wearing a red scarf, heavy blue jacket, red shirt and brown boots appeared from the other side of the garden. He carried a spellbook in hand. “I’m still trying to get the hang of this fulminus spell.”“Hey, I’m fine with you practicing your weird magic, just don’t make me and Wild Star a target.”Callum was a foreign prince visiting from the kingdom of Katolis from the continent of Xadia, a land not too far from where Alicorn and Corona were located. Callum showed early talents of magic and was always curious about the magic of the unicorns so he decided to study under the wing of the headmistress at Unicorn Academy. Callum and Sophia became fast friends, but Callum was a tad shy and awkward, so Sophia made it her personal mission to help the mage protégée to step out of him comfort zone.“I just can’t seem to get it right.” Callum flipped through the pages of his book.Sophia laughed, “Don’t be hard on yourself. You’ll get it. And I told you, none of that ‘princess’s stuff. Call me Sophia.”“Right.”“Anyway, is my dad back yet?”“Yeah, he’s in the throne room.”“Thanks. Catch you later, Cal. Let’s practice later, okay.”“Thanks, Sophie!” Callum waved and returned to his studies. Sophia dismounted Wild Star and the two entered the throne room. King Miles and Queen Marta sat upon their respected thrones. Miles was once bonded to Wild Star, but when he returned from riding to become king full time, his unciorn rebounded with his daughter when she came of age. It wasn’t often that unicorns of former riders would bond with their children, but not unheard of. “Sophia!”“Hey, Dad. Hey, Mom.”“Did you find the boy who saved Marco? I’d like to express my gratitude.”“Sorry, Dad. The riders and I searched everywhere. It’s like he disappeared.”“I’m sure he’ll turn up again.” Queen Marta said.“And you’re sure he wasn’t a spy of Corona?” Miles asked.“If he was why would he risk his life to save Marco?” Sophia said. Another rider, one of the guards, stood before the king and queen alongside his unciorn. “Your Majesties, there was no sign of Corona’s forces.”“We can’t keep going on like this.” King Miles slammed his fist against the arm of his throne. “Tonight, I will lead the search party. Be ready, Sophia.”“Yes, Dad.” Sophia stopped for a moment, thinking. “Say, Dad, when do you think this feud will finally be finished?”“When Corona pays for all of their misdeeds.”Sophia nodded in understanding. When her father was this determined, it was difficult to have a conversation with an opposing view. Sophia was the same way most of the time, but today…things were different. (~) Sophia was met with her fellow unciorn academy students, her dorm-mates. There was Ava and her unciorn Leaf, Layla and her unciorn Glacier, Rory and Storm, Valentina and Cinder, and Isabel and River. “Heard you went toe to toe with a Corona spy.” Isabel said, her voice was deep and rough. Her blond hair was tied back into a messy ponytail and had a single blue streak to match the color of her water unciorn, River.“Who told you that?” Sophia laughed.“I did. Sounded a lot more epic.”“He wasn’t a spy.”“How can you be sure?” Valentina, the red-haired rider asked. She always wore a haughty expression, matching that of her fire unicorn Cinder.“She’s right, he could have lying” Layla suggested, adjusting her ice-themed glasses. Glacier nodded in agreement. “No way. The dude saved Marco. Sounds good in my book.” Rory said, lounging on his saddle. His storm unciorn, appropriately named Storm, agreed with him. “What was he like?” Ava asked. “He was…different. In a oddly endearing way.” Sophia admitted. The look on her face was not lost on her fellow riders.“No way!” Isabel laughed, “You totally like him!”Sophia blushed. “What? No! I barely know the guy.”“What’s to know? He saved your brother.” Rory said.“Was he cute? I bet he was cute, right?” Ava giggled.“I guess.” Sophia shrugged.“Do you think you’ll see him again?”“We better not.” Valentina huffed, as did Cinder. “If he really is a Corona spy, the next time we see him, he’ll be fried.”Sophia rolled her eyes. Valentina rarely trusted anyone, so she wasn’t going to take her word for it. Ava was already gushing about Sophia’s supposed new ‘crush’, which Isabel and Rory were already placing bets to see who would make the first move. Layla, despite her shyness, was on Valentina’s side of caution.“If I do see him again, I’ll make sure he knows who he’s dealing with.” Sophia promised with a knowing smile. (~) “Adrien. Adrien.”Adrien woke up to a familiar voice calling from out the window. It wasn’t Rayla, or Plagg, it was…her. There she was, riding on Wild Star. He couldn’t believe it. Wild Star created a rainbow bridge, allowing the female rider to climb up towards the window. “It’s you.” Adrian said breathlessly. “How did you find me?”“I searched all over for you.”“You’re…even more beautiful than I remember.” Adrien took her hands in his and their faces leaned in closer. Shiriki’s laughter filled the room and the witch appeared before the couple. Adrien searched for the girl, but she had disappeared. She grabbed Adrien in her large arms, cackling none stop.“Let me go! Let me go!” Adrien demanded, but Shiriki’s grip only got tighter. He woke up with a start, breathing heavily. He got from his bed towards the window, hearing large wing beats. Draco kept watch. Adrien locked eyes with the noble dragon, but all her saw from Draco’s eyes was shame. He took off, leaving Adrien to himself again. Adrien reached for his cabinet where he had hidden the blade he found in the basement. “Plus est en vous.” If only he knew what it meant. He remembered the words engraved on the box that held the dagger.“Constant as the stars above, always know that you are loved.” Adrien looked up at the stars, as though they were calling to him. Hon that night, he made a solemn vow to himself.“I’m going to be free.”That night, as Adrien slumbered, dreaming of a life outside the magic wall, stardust entered the room, sprinkling over the blade, transforming it into a sterling silver paintbrush.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Several days had passed since Sophia last saw the mysterious blond haired boy. But Sophia was determined to find him. She knew he couldn’t be a Corona spy. He was far too kind, not to mention rather clueless about the war, and she had been around enough people (being princess and all) to detect a lier when she saw one. She and the rest of her fellow Unicorn Academy Riders split up into separate teams to try and search for him, not wanting to bother her parents about the mater. Rory, Isabel and Valentina had reached the woods. Valentina, naturally, took the lead with Cinder, the fire unicorn carried himself with a self-appointed dignity. Rory wouldn’t stop yawning, while Isabel kept her eyes open. Her shy unicorn River was nervous as ever, thankfully his fearless rider was there to calm him down.“We’ve been searching since this morning. What makes you think we’ll find Sophia’s new boyfriend out here?”“Well we can’t find him anywhere else.” Isabel said. “Yeah, but why would anyone want to be in these creepy woods?”Valentina tugged on Cinder’s reigns, and her unicorn faced the other two riders. “First of all, we’re not out here looking for a date for the princess. We’re searching for a potential spy.”Isabel groaned “Seriously? We’re still on this?”“This is not a joke! We’re at war. And as the future protectors of the realm, it us our solemn duty to keep our people safe from any potential threats.”Rory chuckled, “Duty.” He muttered. Storm neighed playfully at his joke. Nobody understood Rory’s sense of humor like Storm did.Valentina and Cinder scoffed and rode ahead, once more. Isabel mimicked Valentina’s haughty posture, making Rory laugh. Valentina sneered over her shoulder and the other two riders straightened up.River whinnied and reeled back. “What is it, boy?” Isabel wondered. Valentina ordered everyone to remain silent. A distant rustling came from all around them.“Relax, Val. It’s probably a squirrel.” Rory said.“Careful, I hear they can smell fear.” Isabel joked and she and Rory. High fives. Valentina groaned. Of all the riders she just had to be stuck with the two most annoying.The sound returned, this time coupled with a distant roar. All three unicorns bucked their front legs in fright, sensing the danger. “Get into position!” Valentina ordered. Cinder lit up his horn and shot a blast for fire at the incoming threat. The fires expanded, engulfing the trees. But Valentina knew that couldn’t be Cinder’s fire. A shadow loomed over the riders, its golden scales glistening in the light peering through the leaves.“Dragon!” Rory screamed.“Retreat!”“What? Come on, we can take it!” Isabel complained.“That thing? I’m with Val!” Rory kicked Storm’s side and, despite her protests, galloped after Valentina and Cinder. River bucked and galloped forward, Isabel didn’t even need to utter a command, he was so scared. They had trained for mostly anything, but this dragon was unlike anything native to their region, and it’s fire was more powerful than even Cinder, which Valentina found as an insult to her unicorn. It was no wonder these woods were forbidden, not even the most fearsome of riders dared to enter. And after what they had just witnessed, it made sense why. (~) Sophia and Wild Star caught up with the rest of their friends. “Anything?” Sophia asked.Ava and Leaf shook their heads. “Sorry, bestie.”“No sign of him anywhere.” Layla said. “He couldn’t have just disappeared.” Sophia said.“I don’t know, Sophia. What if he really was a spy?” Ava questioned.“I agree.” Layla adjusted her glasses. “And it’s clear he doesn’t want to be found.”Sophia sighed. “Maybe this is pointless. It’s just, there was something about him. Something…I can’t really explain it.”“I think I know.” Ava winked and Leaf winked back. “Our little Sophia’s in love!”Sophia scoffed. “What? No!” She let out an awkward laugh. “That’s so not what this is about.”“The blush on your face says otherwise.” Layla smirked, and Glacier whinnied cheekily. Even Wild Star agreed. Thankfully, Sophia didn’t need to defend herself further when Valentina, Rory and Isabel returned.“Guys, everything alright?” Sophia asked.“Alright? We almost got barbecued by a dragon!” Valentina complained. “Are you guys okay?” Ava asked worriedly.“Aside from a few scorch marks, I think I’ll live.” Rory said, inspecting the back of his jacket.“Speak for your self! We totally could have taken that dragon.” Isabel said, clenching her first.“That dragon wasn’t local to the region.” Valentina said. “It’s fire even overpowered my poor Cinder.” She cooed, stroking her unicorn’s mane, his pride bruised. “We would have been sitting ducks.” Valentina had Cinder trot closer to Wild Star.“Honestly, Princess, you should just forget about the guy and focus on what actually matters.”Sophia rolled her eyes. “Right. The stupid war.”“No. The masquerade ball tonight. Naturally, Cinder and I are going to be the best dressed there.”“Uh, Sophia is the princess.” Layla interjected. “If anyone is going to be best dressed, it’ll be here.”“I’ll try not to steal your spotlight too much, Val.” Sophia tugged on Wild Star’s reigns and trotted back towards the castle. Once she was out of earshot, Sophia dropped her shoulders and threw her head back, exhausted.“Maybe she’s right. Who knows if I’ll ever see him again anyway.”Wild Star whinnied.“Not because I like him! I just…I don’t know.” Sophia didn’t appreciate that smirk on her unciorn’s long face and just dismissed it.“Sophia!”“Dad, what’s wrong?”“We just received word that there’s been another attack on the village.” (~) Sophia rode Wild Star alongside the rest of the guards, her father riding behind her. They reached the scene of the crime, where the local bakery, owned by Marinette’s family, had been ransacked, most of their good destroyed and littered splattered on the ground.Sophia dismounted Wild Star and rushed to help her old friend. “Marinette, what happened here?”“I don’t know. We just left to get more doe from my grandpa. And when we came back, the place looked like a tornado passed through.”“It had to have been the Corona.” Marinette’s father, a very large man who normally had a friendly demeanor, but today was fueled by rage. Sophia comforted Marinette and promised her family would help pay for damages. Marinette thanked the princess with a hug. Tiki thanked Wild Star for Sophia’s generosity in their unicorn language.King Miles turned to one of the guards. “Increase security around the boarder.”“Dad, that’s the third time we’ve increased security this week alone.” Sophia reminded him.“I know. Corona is growing more confident.” Miles addressed the worried people and unicorns. “This attack on our kingdom will not go unanswered. Corona will pay for their misdeeds, this I promise you.”“Maybe we should cancel the party.” Sophia suggested.“We can’t. The Fairy Moon is the most important night of the year. It’s where Alicorn’s magic will be at it’s highest. Our magic will be stronger, so if Corona foolishly tries to attack, we must be ready.”Sophia was dejected. The Fairy Moon Ball was meant to be the biggest and most joyous night of the year. A night where the fairy and unicorn magic of the island would be at it’s strongest and the Unicorn Constellation will appear in the night sky for only that one night. The stars on the unciorn’s horn will fall and kiss the land of Alicorn, blessing it for another twenty years. “Sophia,” Mile spoke, “I need you to be strong. One day, this will be your responsibility.”“I know, Dad.”
(~) Once the royal family and their guards left the scene, Shuriki, wearing her cloak, emerged from the shadows, tucking her wand in her back pocket. She smiled with wicked glee.“Everything is going along swimmingly.” (~) “Do you think we have enough berries?” Rayla asked, hands on her hips and raising an eyebrow. This was the fifth time she caught Plagg devouring the berries they were plucking for Shuriki.“I—I—I’m not sure.” Plagg stuttered, wiping his berry stained mouth with his paw.“Well we would if you’d stop eating them!”“Who said I’ve been eating them?” Plagg folded his front legs over his white spotted chest. “I’m insulted you would even suggest such a thing.” He then plucked another berry into his mouth.Rayla face palmed while groaning and shaking her head. “This sucks. We should do something.”“We are. We’re picking delicious berries.” Plagg was about to eat some more but Rayla pulled the basket away. “I’m talking about Adrien. It’s not fair.”“Um, hello. Have you met Shuriki?”“We can’t just leave him up there. I mean, salving away for Shuriki was one thing, but being stuck in his room for heaven knows how long with nothing to do? If anything, that’s worse!”“And what do you suggest we do? Bust him out?” Plagg asked.“Now that’s the first good idea you’ve had since I’ve met you.”“Funny. You realize if we do bust him out, Draco gets the axe. And if he gets the axe…”Rayla groaned again. “I get axed. You know, nobody said sharing a dragon heart would be all sunshine and rainbows.” She eyed the basket of berries and got an idea. “Well, if we can’t break Adrien out, at least we can bring him this…” Rayla plucked a stick and started smashing the berries with it. “What are you doing?!” Plagg cried for the loss of the berries. Rayla then sensed another presence and when she looked up she saw the mighty dragon, the last of his kind, land before her.“What are you doing, cub?”“Um, hey Draco. I’m just making some paint, for Adrien.”Draco’s brows furrowed with worry. Rayla read the words behind his look.“What? I can’t see him anymore?”“I didn’t say that.” Draco said.“You were thinking it. I know you, Draco. You think that if I keep hanging around him that I’ll get in trouble and then you’ll get in trouble.”“Rayla, I know how important that boy is to you, and it breaks my soul to see him in this state. You know if there was more I could do, I would.”“Well, if you won’t do it, I will. You may be scared of Shuriki by I’m not.”Draco stomped his claw. “Do you delight in mocking me? Yes, child. I do fear death, but not for me, for you. And if I loose you I will lose much more.”“Aside from me or your life, what more is there to loose?” Rayla wondered, her voice softening though the harshness still lingered.Draco said with bated breath. “My soul. As well as yours.” With that, he flew off.“You know, maybe you shouldn’t be so hard on the guy who saved your life.” Plagg suggested, ears dropped.Rayla didn’t say anything in return and proceeded to smash the berries, using them to vent her frustration.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Adrien laid on his bed, bored out of his mind. He had rearranged the furniture. Twice. Made his bed, sweep the floor, dusted his cabinets, red a few books, stretched, knitted, played guitar, everything he could think of. But the one activity he longed for the most was painting. How he missed the sound of squishing the brush into the pain, the way the colors came to life on the canvas. Painting was like pouring all of his pent up emotions and out into the world. Now, everything he had to paint was gone.“Knock, knock.” Rayla climbed onto the window. Plagg carried the basket, balancing it on his head. “Look what we brought!” Plagg dropped the basket, spilling some paint on the floor. “So you can start painting again.”“There would have been more if the bottomless pit here hadn’t snagged so many.” Rayla said. “It was my snack time!”Adrien picked up the basket, touched by his friend’s gift. “I don’t know what to say.”“Well, you could go with ‘Thank you’, ‘What would I do without you?’, you know, take your pick.” Plagg sat on a table and started licking his paw.“Oh, shoot.” Rayla face palmed again. “We forgot, you need a paintbrush.”“What about this one?” Plagg picked up a silver colored paintbrush from the very table on where he sat. “Huh. Is it my imagination, or I swear this used to be that blade we found in the basement.”Plagg handed Adrien the brush. After reading the familiar engraving, it was clear that this in fact was the blade they found.“But, how is this possible?”“Maybe it was magic.” Rayla guessed. “Come on, dip that suck in.”Adrien dipped the tip of the brush into the berry-maid paint and searched for a place to paint. There was no blank canvas, but there was the nest best thing. The wall! Adrien knew he would have to get creative with just one color, but being creative was what he loved to do most. So, he started imagining and when the brush touched the wall, instead of red coloring, the paint spread out to form what Adrien could only recognize as a reflection of the sky itself. He pulled away with a gasp.“Whoa. How did you do that?” Rayla asked, flabbergasted. “I don’t know. I was thinking of the blue sky and there it was.” Adrien tried the brush again, this time the walls were painted green. Rayla and Plagg observed in astonishment as the painting seemed to literally come alive.“This time, I was thinking of the grass in the village.”“You don’t even need paint.” Plagg realized, “See, Ray! I could have had more berries.”Adrien continued to pain, this time adding a waterfall to the mountains, which moved like actual water. This was incredible. Everything Adrien painted with this, he could only assume, magic paintbrush, just came to be before his eyes. Like his imagination was taking on a life of its own. He proceeded to paint the village he remembered from his visit into the outside world, and even without the brush, the castle of Alicorn appeared, and a blue butterfly fluttered out of the wall and out the window, just as Adrien wished he could.“This is incredible!” Rayla laughed excitedly. “Come on, show us all the places you went. I want to see all of it.”Adrien pointed to the specific areas he had visited. “Well, there’s the bakery, and the main square, and the garden outside the castle.”“Where?” Plagg asked, poking the painting, only for his paw to go straight through the wall. He screamed and pulled away, hiding behind Adrien’s bed. “Didn’t see that coming.” Rayla said.Adrien bravely stuck his hand into the painting, a bright glowing light surrounded his arm, and when he pulled it back a little bluebird had landed on his finger. The little one stared at Adrien, chirping, before flying off like the butterfly did.“I’ve got a good feeling about this.” Adrien said, the adrenaline already pulsing through him. This was it. This was his ticket back into the outside world.Rayla read her best friend’s plan all over his face and tugged on his arm. “Uh, are you sure this is a good idea?”“Yeah, you could end up a blob of paint!” Plagg said, floating out from behind the bed. “I’ll take that over being a prisoner.”Rayla let go of Adrien’s arm. She knew more than anyone how frustrating it was to be a prisoner for so long. “Alright. But, I’m staying back here in case you need me to yank you back.”Adrien hugged his big sister then stood before the wall. With bated breath he stepped into the painting. In a flash, Adrien was gone. The colors spun around him and before he knew it, Adrien was standing on literal grass. He could smell the cherry blossoms again. He was back in the castle gardens.Adrien jumped in surprise when he felt a large wet nose against his back. It was Wild Star. And if she was here, that could only mean…“It’s you!” Sophia, who was sitting against a tree, stood up and hurried towards Adrien, not believing her eyes. For a moment she had begun to wonder if she had imagined the guy.Adrien felt his heart leap. She was even more beautiful than he remembered with her bouncing rainbow hair and fierce violet eyes.“I’ve been looking for you.” Sophia realized the implication of her words and tried to save face. “I mean, my father really wanted to thank you for saving Marco. Where were you?”“I’ve been, well, it’s a long story.”“Well, I’m glad you came back. I realized I never caught your name.”“It’s Adrien.”“Adrien.” Sophia repeated. “My name is—”“Actually, don’t!” Adrien stopped her.Sophia raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”“It’s better I don’t know.”Sophia and Wild Star exchanged skeptic looks. Then again, if—and only IF—Valentina was right (heaven forbid), maybe not giving this guy her name was the right call. Just to be sure.“Okay.”Adrien realized he was still holding onto the brush. He realized that maybe she could help him uncover some answers. “Actually, I was hoping you could help me.” Adrien showed her the brush. “Do you think you can help me find the person who made this?”Sophia took the brush and read the engraving. “Plus est en vous. What does that mean?”“No idea. It was from my parents.”“Then wouldn’t your parents know who made it?”“Thing is, I’ve never met my parents. I don’t even know where they are.”Sophia’S heart dropped. “Oh. I’m sorry.” She gave him back the brush, now understanding it’s true value.“I’m hoping whoever made this brush might know who they are.”“Well, lucky for you, I know the local silversmith. I know practically everyone in this kingdom. Come on.” She mounted onto Wild Star and invited Adrien to hop on.“Um, this may come as a shock but, I’ve never ridden before.”“Don’t worry. You’re in good hands.” Sophia extended her hand and, with excitement pulsing through him, Adrien took the girl’s hand and she helped him onto her unicorn. Clearly uncomfortable on where to place his hands.“Just hold onto me.” Sophia said, making Adrien blush.“Oh, uh, okay. If you don’t think that would be…weird.”“You’re already weird.” Sophia said with a giggle. “Don’t worry, if you try anything I’ll buck you off before you can scream for help.”Rather than feel scared, Adrien was…intrigued. “I don’t doubt it.” He held into Sophia’s waist, respectfully, he grew up with Rayla to know the proper etiquette when it came to woman and their boundaries. Together, they rode off.Adrien felt himself nearly get blown off but quickly wrapped his arms around Sophia’s torso for dear life.“Hang on, we like to go fast.” Sophia said, the wind sweeping through her hair.Adrien loosened his grip as he got more accustomed to the movements and once he did he found himself having the time of his life.“This is amazing!” He threw his arms in the air but when he felt his balance loosen he grabbed Sophia again. Thankfully, she didn’t appear offended in anyway, and the two rode off, Adrien taking in every second. (~) Adrien was saddened when the ride was over. He wanted to see just how fast Wild Star could go, but she slowed down once they reached the village. Sophia helped Adrien dismount, but he lost his footing and fell on top of her. Adrien laughed awkwardly at their position and quickly forced himself off of her. “I’m so sorry! I wasn’t trying to—”“It’s fine, don’t worry.” Sophia assured him as he helped her to her feet. “Next time, I’ll use you to break my fall.” She joked, and Adrien found himself laughing as well, feeling more relaxed. They arrived at the local silversmith, run by a rocker-looking man with purple hair and spiky leather jacket. Aiding him was a young man with dark hair and blue highlights. Beside him was a unicorn with snake-like markings on his side and a long cyan mane. “Luka, could you tend to these customers for me, son?”“Sure thing, Dad.” The blue haired boy, Luka, greeted the guests, he immediately recognized Sophia. “Oh, your high—” he stopped himself when Sophia, standing behind Adrien, gestured to Luka with a ‘cut it out’ hand gesture, signaling him not to reveal her identity to her new friend, who she pointed at.“High—High! Hello.” Luka greeted, and Sophia gave him a thumbs up. When Adrien turned around, Sophia played it cool.“Hi, I’m Adrien.”“Oh, hey, Marinette told me about you. The guy who really loved her family’s macaroons. Can’t blame you. They’re like heaven in your mouth.”“You’re Luka? Nice to meet you.” Adrien shook the boy’s hand, happy to make another friend on his second visit. The unicorn with snakes nuzzled Adrien. Unciorn’s really seemed to like him.“This is Sass. And trust me, he really lives up to his name.”“Nice ti meet you, Sass.”“So, what brings you here? How can I help?”Adrien showed Luka the paintbrush. “I was hoping if you might recognize this.”Luka studied the paintbrush and both he and Sass looked as if they had seen a ghost. “Yes. I’ve definitely seen this before. The detail, everything. It’s exquisite.”“You made it?” Adrien asked hopefully.“Oh, no, not me. My sister.” Luka said sadly, handing back the paintbrush to Adrien.“Well, that’s great! May I speak with her?”Luka scratched his neck. “I’m afraid not. Even I haven’t spoken to her in years.”“Why not?”“The feud, I’m afraid. See, our parents divorced when we were very young, so my mother and sister moved to Corona.”Adrien realized what this meant. “And, you can’t go to visit them, can you?”Luka shook his head, eyes shrouded in sadness. Sass nuzzled his rider’s cheek and Luka in return patted his muzzle. “I’m so sorry.” Adrien placed a comforting hand on Luka’s shoulder. “You must really miss them.”“More than I can say, my friend. More than I can say.”Sophia was struck silent. She knew Luka had a sister but she just assumed she lived on the other side of the continent, not in the rival kingdom. Luka rarely spoke about his mother’s side of the family, and now she knew why. It was far too painful and he only revealed it now when someone needed his help. Then, to Sophia’s surprise, and intrigue, Adrien hugged Luka. The young silversmith was taken aback for a moment, but realized that a hug was exactly what he needed.Sophia now knew without a shred of doubt that Valentina was wrong. This blond-haired boy was no spy. He was as kind and gentle as they came.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Once again, Rayla was pacing around, waiting for Adrien. “Maybe one of us should go and check on him.” Rayla said. “Plagg, can you teleport there?”“I could, but what if he’s not in the same place as before. Also, he forgot to pack cheese this time so I can’t track him.”Rayla half clenched her fists, growling. “You’re about as useful as a dandruff!” She gasped, her ears picking up the sound of horse trots. Coming fast. “No, no, not now!”“What? What is it?”“What do you think?” Rayla grabbed the fairy cat and shook him like mad. The witch is coming and Adrien’s not back yet!” She let him go and Plagg, dizzily fell to the floor. “If she find out he’s gone who knows what she’ll do to Draco!”“Oh, now you’re worried about the scaly lug?”“Plagg, this is serious! That’s it, I’m getting him back.”“In three minutes? Shuriki will have our heads by then.”“Well unlike you, I’m not waiting around. You stall Shuriki and I’ll go find Adrien.”“Like I said, what if he’s not in the same place as before?”“You forget, I’m also a good tracker. You stall, I’ll go.”Plagg groaned, “I’m gonna become snake food.” (~) Callum was once again practicing his magic in the palace gardens. “Okay, I think I’ve got it.” He moved his hand, making a drawing in mid air which glowed blue. “Aspi—Whoa!” Callum was pushed to the ground when somebody literally landed on him.Rayla sat upright and patted every inch of her body. “I’m okay. I’m okay!”“Ouch.”“Not okay.” Rayla quickly got off of the person she accidentally fell on and helped them up. It was a boy, around her age with green eyes and dark brown hair, wearing a red scarf. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you.”“How could you not I standing right…here…” Callum couldn’t believe what he was seeing. This girl wasn’t just a girl. She was a literal moonshadow elf. A real elf, standing in front of him.“You’re…you’re one of those with the…pointy…”Rayla self cautious touched her ears. “What, you don’t like my ears?”“What? No, I mean, yes, I do, they’re cute, I meant the pointy…horns.” Callum face palmed at his poor attempt at a first impression. “I’m sorry, I was just…”Rayla spotted the spellbook on the ground and picked it up. “You’re a mage?”“What? Oh, um, sort of. More like a mage-in-training.”“Can you do magic?” Rayla asked.“Well, technically, yes. I was just practicing a spell.”“Then, you’re a mage.”Callum was taken aback. He had only recently started his studies, so hearing someone already say he was a full mage was…kind of a confidence boost. “Um, thanks. So, what brings you here? There aren’t a whole lot of Moonshadow elves in this kingdom.”“I’m looking for someone. About your height, blond, green eyes, supper cheery, like really cheery.”Callum immediately knew who this elf was referring to. “You mean the guy Sophia’s been looking for?”“Who’s Sophia?”“The princess.”Rayla’s jaw dropped. “That love-struck idiot met a princess?!” She face palmed. “Oh, this is not good.”“Um, is everything okay, Miss…I’m sorry, what was your name?”“Not important. Look, I need you to tell me where he is.”“Well, she and the princess rode off a few hours ago. They should be back soon.”“I can’t wait that long.” Rayla said urgently. “If I don’t find him, someone I care about will be in grave danger.”“Okay, okay, take it easy. We’ll find him.”“Thank you, um…”“Callum.”“Callum. I’m Rayla.”“Nice to meet you Rayla.”“You really think my ears are cute?” Rayla shyly touched one of her ears, and Callum blushed, chuckling awkwardly. (~) Sophia and Adrien walked the rest of the way back to the castle, with Wild Star beside them.“I’m sorry you couldn’t find out more about your parents.” Sophia said.“Don’t worry. If there’s one thing Rayla taught me, it’s to never give up that easily.”“Rayla?”“My sister. Adopted sister, but yeah. She’s always been there for me. And Plagg.”Sophia raised an eyebrow. “That your brother?”“No, he’s more of a family pet. One that can’t get enough cheese.”“Oh, he’s a mouse?”“No, he’s a cat.”Sophia and Wild Star jerked back in surprise. Sophia couldn’t resist laughing. “You are just full of surprises, aren’t you?”“I’ve been told I can be pretty a-meow-sing.” Adrien joked with air quotes.Sophia laughed again. “Okay, that was corny as heck. But cute.” Speaking to Sophia felt so natural. Like, he could say anything and she would either laugh or shrug it off, but never in a way that was condescending. It was as if she enjoyed his antics rather than find them odd of annoying. Meanwhile, Callum was showing Rayla the gardens while she tried to detect Adrien’s scent. Callum studied Rayla’s actions and had a whole lot of questions. Everything he read about moonshadow elves said they were natural trackers, but not that they had heightened senses of smell. “So, when did you come here from Xadia?”“I’ve never been to Xadia.” Rayla revealed.“Seriously? That’s where Moonshadow elves live.”Rayla groaned impatiently. “Look, if you’re so curious. I was born on a ship at sea, there was a storm, my parents died, I almost did too, but a dragon saved my life by sharing half of his heart with mine, and that’s how I’m able to smell that you haven’t washed that scarf in a week.”Callum sniffed his own scarf and realized she was right. He was so focused on his studied he hadn’t really taken notice. “I’m really sorry. About your parents.”Rayla simply shrugged. “I barely remember them anyway. All I know is that since that day I’ve hated water.”“Yeah, I would too.” Callum said. “But, you mentioned a dragon saved you. By sharing half his heart? I never knew dragons could do that.”“Maybe not in Xadia, but my dragon came from a far away land. He’s the last one of his kind.”“Well, why not come to Xadia then? There are more dragons there than anywhere else in the world.”“I’ve been telling him that too. But, I’m afraid it’s not that simple.” Rayla wrapped her arms around herself. “Let’s just say, he made a deal that keeps him trapped and, so long as we’re bonded, so am I.”Callum thought for a moment, then got an idea. “What if I helped you.”“What do you mean?”“This deal, is it magically binding?”“Well, yeah, but—”“I’ve been reading up on binding spells. I haven’t gotten that far into it, but I think I may be able to help you and your dragon.”Rayla was astonished. “You…you would do that? But, you barely know me.”“Hey, you’re best friends with the guy that saved Sophia’s brother. That already tells me all I need to know.”Rayla felt her face turn oddly hot. She’d never experienced that before. Maybe from embarrassment but, right now, her heart was all a flutter, like butterflies swarming in her stomach. Was this how Adrien felt about the princess? Was the same thing happening to her? The moment she looked into Callum’s understanding eyes, she realized…she didn’t mind this feeling.“I…I don’t know what to say.”The two then heard a unciorn’s trots and hid behind a push, where they spotted Adrien and Sophia strolling through the gardens while Wild Star chewed on some grass.“So, listen,” Sophia began, “I wasn’t wondering if…well, here.” She pulled out an envelope and gave it to Adrien. He read the letter aloud.“You’re cordially invited to the Fairy Moon Masquerade Ball at the royal castle.”“It’s tonight.” Sophia said. “I would have given it to you sooner but, you’re pretty tough to find.”“Wow. You must be really important to be invited to a ball at the castle.”“I…wouldn’t know about that.” Sophia cringed then adjusted her hair. All of a sudden she was very aware of how she looked. “Will you come?” She asked.“Are you kidding? It sounds like a blast! But, I’ve never been to a ball before. Masquerade or otherwise. What are they like?”“They’re pretty boring most of the time. But tonight is the Fairy Moon, and the night where the Unicorn Constellation will be seen in the night sky.”“A unicorn constellation? I never thought there was such a thing.”“It only happens once every twenty years. We’re pretty lucky to see it happen now. I’ll come and pick you up and you can see it for yourself.”Adrien flinched. “No! No, I’ll…meet you there.”Sophia tilted her head, as though she were trying to decipher a puzzle. “You’re a mysterious little kitty. Alright. I’ll see you there.” “Great. I’ll be able to recognize you behind a mask.”“Oh, you think so, huh?”“Your hair. It’s a beautiful giveaway.” Adrien’s words made Sophia’s heart thump harder than an anxious rabbit’s foot. She never thought she’d be smitten by a guy’s buttery words, but unlike those of the other boys at court, Adrien’s words carried a sense of authenticity that was hard to find these days.Meanwhile, Callum and Rayla observed from afar. “Aww. They look so cute.” Callum gushed.“I know, right? I almost hate to ruin the moment.” Rayla debated on wether she should wait a couple more seconds, but Draco’s life was on the line. “Forgive me, Adrien.”Rayla jumped from the bushes, startling the pair. Wild Star inmediatly trotted over and shielded her rider, neighing angrily. “Whoa, whoa, calm down, girl.” Adrien soothed the agitated unicorn. “This is my friend.”“Callum?” Sophia noticed the mage standing next to the elf.“Hey, So—” Callum was silenced when Sophia quickly covered his mouth. she whispered not to say her name out loud. Too bad she was too late for Rayla already knew.“Rayla, what are you doing here?” Adrien asked.“I’m sorry, Adrien, but you have to come back. Right now.”Adrien excused himself and took Rayla aside to speak. Sophia gave Callum a nudge. “So, met someone?”“Look who’s talking.”Adrien lowered his voice as he and Rayla spoke. “What’s going on?”“Shuriki is on her way. Plagg is stalling but if you don’t come back right away she’ll hurt Draco.”Adrien knew what that meant. If Draco got hurt, so would Rayla. He couldn’t let that happen. Adrien nodded and took Rayla’s hand, leading back to Sophia and Callum.“I have to go, but I’ll see you tonight.” He promised Sophia. “I’ll explain everything, I promise.”“I’ll take your word for it.” Sophia said.“Will you be there?” Callum asked, and Rayla realized he was asking her.“Me? Where?”“The Fairy Moon Ball, tonight. Will I see you there?”Rayla’s face was warming up again and the butterflies were kicking it into overdrive. “You’re…asking me? To a ball?”“I—It doesn’t have to be a date or anything,” Callum stuttered, “Unless, maybe…you’d want it to be? If not, that’s totally okay.” The mage wanted so badly to burry himself under the ground right now.Rayla was dumbstruck. “I…I…”“We’ll both be there.” Adrien interjected before leading Rayla away.“Great! I’ll see you tonight!” Callum called out, unable to stop the smile growing on his face.“What just happened?” Rayla asked, felling dizzy, and grateful that Adrien was keeping her steady.“A guy just asked you on a date.” Adrien said excitedly. “I know this is urgent, but congrats!”Rayla still couldn’t believe it. A boy just asked her to a ball. A real boy, a human boy, asked her, a moonshadow elf with half a dragon’s heart, asked her.This was, by far, the strangest, and probably best day, of her life.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Plagg hurried outside, spotting Shuriki about to mount Draco. He called out. “Wait, your ladyship, wait!”Shuriki didn’t really care for the fairy cat, and she was ready to ignore him, until he teleported himself in front fo her.“Please, I need your help.”“What do you want, flee-bag?”“I—I—I need your help.”“You just said that.”“Yes, I need help with my…stomach!” Plagg started faking a tummy-ace. “It hurts so bad. I was wondering if you had a tonic or a potion, or something?”Shuriki faked kindness and patted Plagg on the head. “Oh, poor thing. I’m sorry but I can’t help you. Because I don’t care.”Shuriki shoved Plagg out of the way and mounted onto Draco, about to visit Adrien. Plagg had to think of something else, and fast. (~) Adrien and Rayla wondered how they were going to get home in time. Rayla still hadn’t mastered flying, and sharing a dragon heart would give her draconic powers, yet she never bothered to master them because she didn’t fully appreciate them until just now when the thought of Draco getting terribly hurt really put things into perspective.As much as she hated to admit it, Plagg was right. She was too hard on Draco. He always tried to make the best out of a bad situation, and all she did was complain. She promised she would never do that again. From now on, she vowed to respect and love the dragon who saved her life, regardless of their predicament.Adrien got the idea to use the paintbrush to paint the tower on a random door. He promised he’d clean it up later. Wouldn’t want someone accidentally stumbling into the tower. (~) Plagg kept trying to stall Shuriki, “Wait, wait, wait! Come on, let’s talk. We never talk anymore, like the good old days.” Plagg meowed when Shuriki grabbed him by the tail and hung him upside down.“You’re pathetic.”“Give him to me, Mistress.” Ushari said. “I’ll even leave you the lucky paws.”“That’s rabbits, genius!” Plagg was thrown away by the witch, and he spun into a bush down bellow.“Well, I tried.” (~) Shuriki entered the tower, seeing Adrien and Rayla standing in with their backs backing the wardrobe. “Draco, I see your ward is playing games with Adrien, yet again.”“Rayla isn’t doing anything wrong.” Adrien said. “I suppose a useless elf isn’t much to worry about, then.”Rayla wanted nothing more than to bash that witch’s head against the wall, but for the first time she held herself back from exposing her true feelings. If only for Draco’s sake. She was not about to make the same mistakes as before. This time, it was Draco who sneered at Shuriki’s word, thankfully she didn’t see his reaction. “So, Adrien, I assume your memory has improved. Are you ready to tell me the name of who you met?”Rayla remembered that she now knew. She couldn’t tell Adrien, and she certainly couldn’t tell Shuriki. So long as Shuriki believed Rayla ever went to the village the secret of Sophia’s identity would be safe.Shuriki lifted her chin. “Fine. Rot here for all I care.” She mounted Draco and gave him a warning. “I’d keep an eye on that ward if I were you. She needs to learn proper respect.”“Yes, Mistress.”Once they were gone, Adrien and Rayla hugged. “Thank you. You saved him.”“For now.” Adrien pushed the wardrobe aside, revealing the magic painting. “But I can’t stay. Neither of us can.”“You’re right. Callum told me he can find a way to undo Shuriki’s binding spell.”“That’s great! You have to convince Draco to leave too. Shuriki has held us all prisoners for long enough.” (~) Sophia caught up with her father. “Dad! I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something.”“Yes, what is it?”“I was thinking, for the ball, I would like permission to invite the king and queen of Corona.”Miles’s eyes widened. “You what?! You can’t be serious.”“I’ve given it a lot of thought. This feud has gone on for as long as I can remember, and until recently I’ve realized just how it’s effecting everyone. And not just the attacks, but families have been separated, and—”“Enough, Sophia. Corona is our sworn enemy. They have nothing to earn our trust or forgiveness.”“But if we don’t start to change things it will only get worse.”“Where is all of this coming from, mijita?”“Maybe I’m finally starting to see things from a different point of view.”Miles sighed. “My shinning star, when you’re older, you’ll understand.”Sophia pulled away, angrily. “No. You don’t understand.” She marched away, her hopes of making a change for her people, for her friends, seemed farther than before. (~) Adrien examined himself in the mirror, taking full notice of his white jacket, black shirt and worn out jeans. He’s had these cloths for as long as he could remember, never entirely complaining since Shuriki never bothered to buy him cloths and simply conjured new ones whenever his older ones got too small.“I don’t think this is gonna fly at a royal masquerade ball.”“Oh, no, I didn’t even think about that!” Rayla said, starting to panic, which was a rarity for anyone who knew her. Rarely anything frightened her, the main exception being water, so seeing her a turn into a spiraling wreck was a sight Plagg never thought he’d live long enough to see. And he was a fairy cat, so they lived for a very, very long time.“How are we supposed to find the proper attire on short notice? There isn’t exactly a dress shop next door.”Adrien picked up his paintbrush. “Mm. I wonder.” He thought about the item he wished to see the most and when he ‘painted’ the wall, a formal suit appeared.“Well, that solves that problem.” Plagg said, then gave Adrien a nudge. “Go ahead, big shot, try it on.”Adrien walked through the wall, and when he walked out the suit was already on him. It was a very simple black tie suit with matching black shoes. Adrien adjusted the jacket.“What do you think?”“Like a prince.” Rayla said, beaming. She never imagined she’d see her little brother look so grown up.“Now it’s your turn.” Rayla backed away, shaking her head. “Oh, no, no, no. Adrien, I don’t know if I should go.”“And let poor Callum wait all night? Come on, Ray. Just trust me. I’ve got the perfect dress for you.”Rayla gulped. “Okay.” It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Adrien, it was that she didn’t exactly trust herself to look good in a dress.Adrien used the paintbrush to create the most stunning dress Rayla had ever seen. It was a simple two colored dress, blue at the top while transitioning to an aquamarine hue at the bottom. Rayla passed through the wall and walked out in her new gown. She gasped, unable to believe how well it fitted her.“Whoa. You’re not looking half bad there, dragon girl.” Plagg commented, despite the air of snark, he was being sincere.Rayla spun in front of the mirror. She never imagined she would feel this beautiful. She wondered what Callum would think. She examined it further and felt it was missing something.Adrien seemed to have come to the same conclusion. “I think these are too simple.”“Well, what are you waiting for?” Plagg encouraged. “Get to painting!”This time, instead of painting on the wall, Adrien painted himself with the paintbrush. He morphed his suit into a different shape, adding different colors to his suit. When he finished he was now wearing a long cape with red underneath, a high collar, a white ascot with a ruby in its center.Rayla and Plagg grimaced. “Uh, a wee bit intimidating, don’t you think?” Rayla commented.Adrien gave his new outfit a second look, and agreed. It made him look like some kind of creepy count who would feel more at home in an old spooky castle surrounded by bats. He thought about the theme of the party, and then he knew what he was going to wear. Both for him and RaylaHe spun his paintbrush all around him, engulfing him and then Rayla. The light was so powerful Ushari spotted it from outside. Once the light disappeared, Adrien and Rayla faced one another. Rayla was speechless. Her simple gown had transformed into an aquamarine one with a long waterfall tail and midnight blue leggings beneath with scrappy sandals with dragon wings around her ankles. Her corset was adorned with the imprint of a silver dragon taking flight and she wore bejeweled wristbands that wrapped around her fingers like dragon claws. Her hair was styled into a high ponytail with braids and blue streaks, and a dragon themed mask on her face.As for Adrien, his new suit had more refined details, with silver cat patterns on his now open jacket, a half buttoned shirt, black pants with shoes that had a silvery shine to them, fingerless gloves, a sash around his waits that was braided to resemble a cat’s tail, and finally a black cat mask. His hair had been styled differently, with more profound bangs over his forehead instead of his wind-swept look, and his ears were partly covered to make the long cat ears of his mask more profound. “Adrien…this is perfect!” Rayla said, practically in tears. “I knew you’d love it. How do I look?”“Fit for a princess.” Rayla hugged her little brother, careful not to wrinkle her dress. But while they were celebrating, Ushari slithered into the room and stole the envelop Sophia had given to Adrien. (~) Once Shuriki read the letter, she tossed everything from her table, watching as the glass bottles broke into pieces.“That little brat! He’s more cunning than I thought.”“I wouldn’t give him that much credit, Mistress.” Ushari said. “You know how foolish boys are when they’re under a pretty girl’s sway.”“If he goes to that ball it will ruin everything! All these years of planning, thrown out the window. Well, I suppose the time of subtlety is over.”“About time, if you ask me.” Ushari hissed. (~) “Guess we’re as ready as we’ll ever be.” Adrien said, adjusting his mask.“You crazy kids have fun.” Plagg floated over to the table, his flat against his head. “I’ll just be here. Trying not to become snake chow.”“Come on, Plagg. Did you really think we’d forget you?” Adrien scooped the fairy cat into his arms, and hoisted him onto his shoulder. “The outfit wouldn’t be complete without my lucky black cat.“Hey, I am not an accessory!” Adrien waved the paintbrush and a top hat and silver bow tie appeared on Plagg. “You actually look presentable for once.” Rayla smirked, but then felt a familiar sense of dread wash over as he ears picked up wing beats and the smell of strong, tacky perfume.The trio gasped when Shuriki appeared on the window, with Draco observing helplessly. Shuriki ordered him to leave and the dragon begrudgingly obeyed. “Well, don’t you look adorable in your party clothes, Adrien.” Adrien stretched his arms, shielding Rayla. He knew that if Rayla got hurt, so would Draco. He’d rather take the hit than let those he loved suffer the lying witch’s wrath. Shuriki circled the two, stroking her chin, eying Rayla in particular. “Taking the elf as your plus one, are you? Even I must admit, you look mildly presentable, Rayla. Just…your hair. It’s not quite right.” With a wave of her wand, Shuriki cut off the long ponytail, leaving Rayla with shoulder a shoulder length amount of hair. “No!” Adrien shouted.“Now, now, it’s only hair.” Shuriki taunted as she picked up the now cut lump of hair and draped it over her arm as though it were a new accessory. The hairs on Plagg stood on end. “You are the lowest, meanest, nastiest!”“Ushari, he’s all yours.”Ushari jumped at Plagg, only for Rayla to yank him out of the way and the cobra collided with the stone wall. Rayla sneered, exposing her draconic teeth as she held Plagg protectively in her arms.“No, don’t hurt him, or Rayla.” Adrien pleaded. “It’s me you want. But, why? I still don’t understand.”Shuriki was about to lose her composure until she spotted a butterfly suddenly appear out of nowhere. Adrien realized far too late that they didn’t cover up the painting of the village. Shuriki approached the wall, Adrien, Rayla and Plagg unable to do anything to stop her. They had been discovered.Shuriki sensed the magic emanating from the painting. “So, this is how you were able to sneak off.” Using her hand, Shuriki made the painting disappear before their very eyes. Adrien was shaking. That was their only way out and now it was gone.Shuriki sneered at Rayla and Plagg. “You two, get out! I want to have a word with my ward.”Adrien nodded to Rayla and Plagg to leave. Even in her dress, Rayla climbed and leaped out from the window with Plagg close behind. Adrien tried to reason with Shuriki, but she had already found the source of Adrien’s magic. The paintbrush!“No, no, Shuriki, please, don’t!”The witch levitated the brush and destroyed it in a blast of silver pieces, just as she did his last paintbrushes. “If I had known you’d find your mother’s magic weapon I’d have destroyed it long ago. But I needed all the magic I could get for this night.”“What are you talking about?”“I might as well tell you. After tonight, I won’t have anymore use for you. You see, long ago, my mentor, Gothel, discovered a mystical flower with the ability to reverse time itself. But, that flower was stolen from her. The power was absorbed into the body of a child. The Sun Drop. But, she was eventually defeated by her.”Adrien was still lost. What was Shuriki talking about?“That same Sun Drop would then go on yo become the next queen of Corona. Though she had long lost the magic of the flower, she still had enough magic to create that little paintbrush of yours. Instead of using it as a means to rule her kingdom with the true power she inherited, she instead used it to craft a gift for her child. A boy with golden sunshine hair.”Adrien couldn’t feel his legs. Was…was it true?“Ever since I lost the kingdom of Avalon, my magic had been weakened tremendously. So, I spent years recuperating, finding artifacts, making allies, all in an effort to obtain all the magic I’ve lost on this very night.”“The Fairy Moon.” Adrien realized.“Yes. When the powers of the Alicorn kingdom are at its highest, Corona will attack, and while they’re busy defending themselves, I will absorb all the magic from both kingdoms, and finally have my revenge on the two people who took everything from me!”“But, if that’s true, then that means…”“Boy, you’re slow. Yes, you are a child of the Sun Drop. Tragically, you had no magic to give, but I figured I could use a servant around the house.”Adrien found his nerve and was about to attack the witch who had lied to him all those years. She zapped him with her hand, tossing him across the room, his mask slipping off.“You lied to me. You told me my parents never wanted me. And now you’re doing to destroy innocent people? How can you do such a thing?”“Grow up, kid. The world isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Some inherit their kingdoms, others need to take theirs by force.” Shuriki called for Draco and he returned without a moment’s delay. “I’m willing to give you one last chance, Adrien. Who’s the girl? Tell me her name.”“I. Don’t. Know!” Adrien shouted the last word.“Then live with your shame. Forever!” Shuriki mounted Draco and began casting a spell. “Tower, tower, do your part. Never release your prisoner with a lying heart. As these words are spoken, this cursed spell will never be broken!”Shuriki cackled as Adrien collapsed on the floor, weeping. He had finally learned the truth, but it didn’t matter. It was over.He would never be free now. (~) Shuriki dismounted Draco once they landed in front of the manor. “Your ward has defied me for the last time, Draco.”“Please, Mistress. She’s young, she will learn.”“Or maybe her dragon father can’t remember where his loyalties lie.” Shuriki forced Draco to kneel with her magic and formed a metallic collar, chaining him to the wall. Draco tried to break free, but the chain was magic, not even his strength would be enough to break it. “What are you doing?!”“Ensuring I have time to deal with you later.” Shuriki said. “Please, have mercy on the child! She’s done nothing wrong!”“Oh, shut up. You’re noble dragon routine has grown tiresome. Now, be a good boy and stay here.” Shuriki held up the piece of hair she cut off from Rayla and with her magic she morphed her appearance to resemble that of Draco’s ward, with the voice to match.“Right now, I have a party to attend.”Adrien saw the transformation from the window. “No! Please, don’t hurt them!”“You have no one to blame but yourself, Adrien.” Shuriki mocked, relishing in using Rayla’s voice to do so. (~) “Eugene, are you sure about this?”“King Miles has gone too far. His riders have attacked Corona for the last time.”“But an all out war?”“I know you don’t like it, Sunshine. Neither do I. But we have no other choice. After what they did to us, they need to learn not to mess with Corona.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The Fairy Moon illuminated the night sky with it’s shifting rainbow colors. The fate fairies fluttered about, sprinkling the gardens and people’s garments with sparkling dust, some even creating patterns to match the unicorn constellation high in the sky. Even the unicorns wore decorative saddles and masks to match those of their riders.Luka and Marinette rode in on their unicorns, their garments were themed after snakes and ladybugs, respectively. The other unicorn academy rider students were all dressed in ethnic finest. Even their unicorns were dressed up, with their own masks. Ava spun in her spring-inspired dress. “Isn’t it beautiful, Leaf?” Her unicorn whinnied. “As expected, Cinder and I are the best dressed at the party.” Valentina flaunted her fire-themed dress, while Cinder strutted onto the dance floor with his rider.“Where’s Sophia?” Layla asked, dressed in her winter themed dress, to match the ice magic of her unicorn Glacier.Isabel, dressed in blue and aquatic elements to match River’s mask and saddle, pointed ahead near the doors. “She’s over there.”Sophia stood by the punch bowl with Wild Star. Her hair was pulled back into a willow’s peak, dressed in a star themed outfit and mask, matching Wild Star’s. Miles, dressed in his regal garments and wearing a unicorn-themed crown and matching crown-shaped mask. “Sophia, why aren’t you dancing?”“Oh, I’m just waiting for someone.” Sophia felt Wild Star nudge her, insisting she be more specific.Miles chuckled. “This mystery boy must be quite special.”Sophia blushed. “Dad!”“Come on, now. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”“Thing is, he doesn’t even know I’m the princess. So, that’s refreshing.”“I would very much like to meet him.” Mile said.“And scare him off? Not a chance.”“Well then, until he arrives, spare a dance with your old man?” (~) Callum came to the party wearing a bird-themed suit and mask, and this time he actually did wash his scarf. He hoped Rayla would recognize him with it. He flipped through the pages of his spell book, specifically on binding spells, only to have somebody forcibly bump into him and drop said book.“Hey, Cal! Come on, man. Save the studying for later, it’s a party. ” Rory said, dancing like a buffoon. His unicorn, Storm, was the only one who actually seemed to be enjoying it. That, of she was secretly getting a kick off of watching her rider make a fool of himself. Now that would be an awesome prank. Callum picked up the book. “It’s not for me, Rory. It’s for a friend.”“Oh, yeah. Sophia said you had a date tonight. With an elf, no less. Way’ta go, dude!” Rory smacked Callum in the back.“It’s not like that!”“Hey, if you and Sophia can get lucky, maybe I will too. Laters.” (~) “Draco!” Rayla, still in her dragon themed dress but wore her mask on her forehead, hurried towards the dragon. “Rayla. I’m so sorry. You were right. We should have left Shuriki when we had the chance.”“No. You were right. I took you and your gifts for granted because I was too stubborn to understand the sacrifices you’ve made for me. I’m so sorry.”“Don’t be, little cub. I know you only wanted me to uphold the dragon’s code. A code I failed.”Rayla hated seeing Draco blame himself for everything. It wasn’t his fault, he really did do what he believed was best for both of them. After loosing his people to greedy humans, she would have understood how desperate and scared he felt, and Shuriki took advantage of that. With tears in her eyes, she rushed over to hug the dragon’s neck. Draco wrapped her in his claw.Adrien picked up the pieces that remained of his paintbrush. It was the last piece of his family he had, and now it was gone. Everything was gone. His chances of freedom, his family, his friends, everything.For the first time in his entirely life, he felt truly alone. (~) Shuriki arrived at the castle. She received a few wandering eyes for nobody expected to see an elf at the party, much less one as lovely as she was. Shuriki would have never admitted it, but she always envied how naturally beautiful the moonshadow elf girl was. Even with her pointed ears and horns and lack of a fifth finger in each hand, she was naturally radiant. Of course, what to expect from elves. The witch ignored the questions she received from the guests, approaching the castle entrance with her head held high and handed Adrien’s invitation to the footman. Callum was still reading from his book, being a typical wallflower. Even back in Katolis he never felt at home at royal events. He wasn’t born into royalty, his mother married the king, his stepfather, and while they were close Callum always felt like he wasn’t much of a prince. It was why he instead focused on learning magic because it was the one thing he felt he was good at. Callum smiled once he finally found what he was looking for. He looked up from his book, ready to tell Sophia the news until Rayla arrived, and that was when he saw her. Her silver hair and horns were easy to spot in a crowd.“Hey, Rayla!” Callum called out, waving to gather her attention.Shuriki smiled when she heard this random boy call out the elf’s name. Looks like Adrien wasn’t the only one smitten. Shuriki decided to have a little fun with the boy and walked out of the ballroom. Confused, Callum went after her, bypassing a few of the guests and their unicorns.Sophia noticed Callum going after Rayla, which she found peculiar. She assumed Rayla was looking for him and Callum was about to surprise her. And if Rayla was here, that meant Adrien was too. Wild Star sensed something as off, but Sophia dismissed it and followed Callum out into the gardens. (~) Callum kept calling to Rayla, but she just kept on running. She would occasionally stop, give Callum a wink, followed by a flirty smile and wave, then continue through the gardens.“Okay, very funny.” Callum said, thinking it was all some weird elf game. Or maybe that was all Rayla. “Callum?”The mage stopped when he heard the princess. “Sophia?”“Have you seen Adrien?”“No, I was just following Rayla.”“Where’s she going?”“No idea.”The two followed Rayla’s rustling through the hedge maze and once they finally caught up with her, Callum was nearly out of breath.“Wow. You’re really fast.” Callum smiled but when Rayla smiled back, there was something…off about her. And it had nothing to do with her beautiful dragon themed mask. Her eyes were the same but they carried something almost sinister behind them. This didn’t feel like the girl he met.‘Rayla’ then pulled out a hand from her dress pocket and magic rained down upon her, transforming her into a tall and very menacing looking woman. “What’s the matter? Don’t like older women?”“Who are you?” Callum demanded to know, “Where’s Rayla?”“And Adrien.” Sophia added.Unfortunately, your dates won’t be coming. Must be very embarrassing for you, Princess Sophia.”Sophia stepped forward, straightened her posture and held her head up high. “What have you done to them? Who are you?”“I’m the one who’s going to teach you not to mess with my plans.” Shuriki sent an electric shock art the two, but Callum tackled Sophia out of the way and the struck the head of a hedge shaped like a swan. “Go!” Callum ordered. “Get Wild Star. I’ll handle her.”Sophia ran back toward the castle, while Callum summoned a spell to sent a lightning strike at the witch.“Fulminus!”Shuriki dodged the attack by creating a force field. “Oh, a little wizard, I see. This should be fun.” (~) “There has to be some way to break Shuriki’s spell.” Rayla said, sitting in front of Draco, who laid on his belly, every so often trying to yank on the chain to no avail.“I’m afraid it’s not that simple. Only Shuriki can undo her own spells.”“Please, Draco. I can’t bare to see you and Adrien trapped like this. We can’t give up. I won’t give up!”Draco smiled, his eyes twinkling like the stars. “Spoken like a mighty dragon.” He thought for a moment then remembered what Shuriki had said when she cast her spell. “Wait, Rayla, the spell only traps a prisoner with a lying heart.”“But Adrien…isn’t a lier! That’s it! Thank you, Draco.” She kissed his nose. “I love you.”“And I you, little cub.” (~) Rayla climbed up the tower until she reached the window. “Adrien, listen. You never lied to Shuriki, right? So Draco thinks her spell won’t work on you.”Adrien remembered Shuriki’s words. “Never release your prisoner with a lying heart. Rayla, you’re right. But, how am I supposed to—”“Just jump. I’ll catch you.”Adrien hesitated, but only for a second. If what she and Draco said was true, then this could be his last chance to finally be free. He stepped onto the ledge of the window, staring down at the bottom. It was a long way down, but he had to take a leap of faith. He trusted Rayla to catch him, no matter what. Plagg watched from bellow with Draco, covering his eyes. “I can’t watch.”Adrien took in a deep breath, half expecting the green forcefield to stop him, but then he took that one step he felt nothing but the wind on his face. He slipped and fell but Rayla, as promised, caught in in time. Unfortunately, it was a very loose grip and Adrien was slipping. Rayla tried pulling him towards her but her hand gave way and Adrien started to fall.Rayla impulsively jumped after him and grabbed him in mid-air. She felt something surge from within her and in a burst of light, a pair of leathery blue colored dragon wings sprouted from her back.They flapped and Rayla took to the sky. Adrien laughed as his sister hoisted him higher and spun in the air until they finally landed. Rayla was flabbergasted. She had wings. Honest to heaven dragon wings!Plagg’s jaw dropped and Adrien was laughing from the excitement. “Rayla, how did you do that?”“I…I have no idea.”“You’ve finally embraced your true powers.” Draco said proudly.“I have?” Rayla examined her wings again. They were real, and they were here’s. “I have! Thank you, Draco. I couldn’t have done it without you.”“This is all supper touching and all, but we’ve got a witch to stop!” Plagg reminded them.“Can you transport us to the castle?” Adrien asked.“I can try. But it’ll take a lot out of me to teleport the three of us.”“Save that energy, furball.” Rayla said. “I can get us over the wall.”“Are you sure, Rayla?” Adrien said.Rayla turned back to face Draco, placing a hand over her heart. “A dragon is sworn to valor. His heart knows only virtue.”She and Draco finished the last bit of the oath. “His fire defends the helpless. His might upholds the weak. His words speaks only truth. His wrath undoes the wicked!”Rayla rushed to give the dragon one more hug. Draco nuzzled her cheek. “Go. Fly, my valiant dragon heart.”Adrien wrapped his arms around Rayla’s neck from behind and she flapped her wings, zooming through the sky as though she had been doing it her entire life. Flying came so naturally. Now she understood why. It was her bond with Draco, her love for him and his love for her which gave her these wings, and she would cherish them from now until forever. Once they had flown over the wall, Rayla remembered something. “Adrien, since you’re out of the tower now, I guess I can finally tell you your mystery girl’s name. It’s Princess Sophia.”“Princess?!” Adrien couldn’t believe it. “You’ve been talking to a princess?!” Plagg exclaimed.“That’s what I said.” Rayla added.“Sophia.” Adrien whispered, savoring the name. He no longer needed to hide who she was anymore. This was the clincher. He was closer to freedom now. But not before they stopped Shuriki.“Hang on. We’re coming.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Callum ran back into the castle, out of breath, yet still managed to dodge another magic blast from Shuriki. She sent another one his way, which Callum deflected by creating a shield.“Not bad, boy. But not good enough.”Callum didn’t let her comment get to him. Anyone who used magic to harm others didn’t deserve to learn the craft to begin with. Callum always believed magic could be used for good. But even he wasn’t foolish enough to fight her all alone. He needed backup.Shuriki readied her wand but screamed in pain when she felt an electric shock strike her hand. “Back off, lady!” Rory shouted heroically, Storm bucked her front legs, neighing determinedly. The rest of the unicorn riders arrives. Ava and Leaf summoned vines to entangle Shuriki, but she zapped them to bits, breaking free immediately. Ushari would have helped, but during Callum and Shuriki’s magic duel, the cobra got his head stuck inside a glass bowl, his head, unable to break free.“Mistress, I could use a little help here.”Shuriki ignored the snake’s request and focused her attention on the riders. Each one using their elemental gain against her, but even now, Shuriki could feel the energy of the Fairy Moon coursing through her. With each magic blast she absorbed their spells, making her body glow.“What’s happening?!” Isabel asked.“Our magic! It’s making her stronger!” Layla deducted. Shuriki cackled and with her newly charged magic she sent a powerful burst of magic which knocked all of the riders off of their respected unicorns. The steeds hurried to retrieve their beloved riders. Shuriki spotted Callum nearby and was about to strike him, only for Sophia to arrive and tackle him out of the way just as he did for her in the gardens. Wild Star shielded the two friends, stomping her hoof in warning to the witch.A toy arrow stuck Shuriki’s sleeves to the wall. It was Marco, using his training bow and arrow.“Nobody hurts my sister! Nobody!”“Marco, get out of here!” Sophia shouted just as Shuriki was about to attack. Callum used his magic to create a whirlwind to levitate the young prince into the air and into Sophia’s arms. (~) Meanwhile, the riders at the castle gates felt something sticky touch their ears. When they saw that it was a chameleon they screamed in disgust and the little reptile used his powerful tounge to smack them both in the face knocking them out. The chameleon scurried over to a man with brown hair and almost colored eyes. “Good job, Pascal.” A woman with short dark hair tied the two guards up and joined the man, his wife, and several other guards as they stormed their way into the castle. The doors to the ballroom burst open and Miles was now face to face with the king and queen of Corona.“King Miles!” The king shouted.Miles shielded his wife. “King Eugene. You’ve got a lot of nerves coming here. Tonight of all nights.”“This has gone on long enough, Miles.” Eugene said, pulling out his sword.“On that, we can agree.” Miles pulled out his own sword and the two kings were engaged in a duel. The party guests rushed out of the ballroom while the guards remained. Their unicorns zapping the guards with magic. A young man with dark hair and a blue streak and wearing large goggles over his eyes, tossed colorful balls which exploded and trapped the unicorns and riders in sticky material. He proceeded to toss more of the balls to everyone who dared to come close. The short haired woman fought off the guards with her sword and acrobatics, a red haired woman turned into a werewolf of all things, joined by her sister and adopted father. A woman with half of her face painted red casually dodged the unicorns’ magical attacks, while a horse with no steed fought the unicorns himself, equine-to-equine. The queen wielded a frying pan, knocking out anyone who came her way. She and Queen Marta fought one another, defending their respected husbands.“I never would have expected this from you, Rapunzel.”“I’m sorry. But Eugene is right, this has gone on for long enough. It ends tonight!” Rapunzel managed to kick the queen to the ground, pointing the frying pan at Marta as though it were a sword. “Where is he?”“We’ve told you before, we don’t have him!”Sophia, Callum and Marco arrived on Wild Star. Sophia told Marco to hide while she can Callum dealt with the Corona invades. Callum spotted the alchemist attacking with his self-made inventions, even using a bazooka-like weapon to trap the guards in amber, save for their heads so they could breath. Callum summoned a lightning spell and knocked the weapon off of the alchemist’s hands.Sophia and Wild Star subdued the short haired woman and the werewolf using Wild Star’s light magic to summon ropes made out of pure light to tie them both up and stick them to the ground. Eugene managed to swipe Mile’s sword, leaving him defenseless. “It’s over, Miles!”“Dad!” Sophia came in, pulling a sword from one of the mannequin knights and attacked the king of Corona, only for both of their swords to get zapped away by Shuriki. This entire time, she had been absorbing unicorn magic, and now with most of the riders subdued she was able to absorb even more into her wand. Everyone watched in horror and confusion and Wild Star suddenly felt weak, collapsing. Sophia remained at her side. Everyone stopped attacking one another and Shuriki directed her attention to the king of Alicorn. “So again, we meet at a ball, eh Miles?”“Shuriki? Is that you?” Miles knew he recognized her face, but it had been so many years he almost didn’t recognize her the first time. “What are you doing here?”“I came to clean up some loose ends.”“Dad, you know her?” Sophia asked.“I knew her once. We were friends.”“Friends.” Shuriki spat at the word. “Friends! You loved me! I know you did.”Mile shook his head. “No, Shuriki. I didn’t, I swear. I’m sorry.”“Save your apologies. It’s high time you and Corona both paid for your crimes against me.”“Crimes?” Rapunzel spoke, “What crimes? We don’t even know you!”“Oh, you did know my mentor. Does the name ‘Gothel’ ring a bell?”Rapunzel and the black haired woman, Cassandra, both gasped. The latter swung her sword, shielding the queen. “What do you know about our mother?”“Mother?” Shuriki laughed, “Goodness, she always was a…social, woman. Can’t say I’m too surprised. But let me ask you something, Miles. Why do you detest these people so much?”“They keep attacking our people!” Marta said with authority in her tone.“Us? You’re the ones who’ve attacked us!” Eugene said. “We never did anything! You’re the ones who stole our son!”“For the hundredth time, we never stole him!” Miles shouted back at Eugene.“He’s right.” Shuriki said, “I did.”The two kings and queens ceased their bickering with one another, now coming to realize a horrific reality.“In fact, neither of your kingdoms attacked each other. It was all me.”“You?” Miles couldn’t believe it. “You started this war? Why?”“Isn’t it obvious? You could have had me as your queen, and I would have had all the power of Alicorn at my disposal. And, I would have gotten back at the people who took the only family I had left. I took a page from Gothel’s book and stole what you valued most, Queen Rapunzel.”“It was you!” Rapunzel shouted, gently pushing Cassandra aside, her green eyes, identical to Adrien’s, narrowed and burned with rage. “You stole Adrien!”“Where is he?!” Eugene demanded to know. “What does it matter?” Shuriki knocked Eugene down with another blast. “You’ll never see him again.” She laughed.Rapunzel kneeled beside her husband, his eyes swelling with tears. Their son was alive, and he had been taken by a witch, just as Rapunzel had been years ago. Miles and Sophia now understood. Everything they thought about Corona was all because of Shuriki. She framed their kingdoms all so she could have all the power in the world. Sophia kneeled beside Rapunzel, “I’ve seen him. I’ve seen Adrien.”“You have?” Hope returned to the queen’s eyes. “When?”“Now do you realize what a doll you were, Miles?” Shuriki said, marking closer towards the king. “You could have had so much. We both could have. You should have loved me.”“You don’t know what love is, Shuriki!” Mile spatted back.“I’m finished with you. All of you!” “NO!” A voice caused Shuriki to freeze in shock. It couldn’t be.“No more!” Adrien was standing in the corner of the ballroom with his head held high. No longer would he lower his head in front of Shuriki. No longer would he obey her every command. No longer would he remain her prisoner.“Impossible! How did you escape?” Adrien ignored her question and got straight to the crux of it all. “You kept me locked up my whole life all because you couldn’t get what you want?”“They all deserve to suffer as I did.”“No. No more suffering, Shuriki. For anybody.”Rapunzel and Eugene couldn’t believe their eyes. It was him. Their precious baby boy, all grown up. He had Rapunzel’s eyes and the golden locks she once had. Varían theorized that because of Rapunzel’s long time exposure to the Sun Drop that her son inherited blond locks, though they didn’t wield any magic, it didn’t matter to Rapunzel or Eugene. The birth of their son was all the magic they needed in their lives. Shuriki laughed. “You seriously think you can stop me?”“Not alone.” Adrien stepped aside, revealing Rayla and Plagg, standing brave and tall before the witch. Rayla rubbed her hands together. “Oh, I’ve been waiting to do this for a very long time.” She inhaled and exhaled and, for the first time, from her mouth came a cloud of fire that scorched Ushari’s tail, his head still in the glass, and he slithered off in fright.“That’s it, I’m out of here!”“Nice shot, Ray-Ray!” Plagg cheered, offering his paw for Rayla to fist, which she did, gladly. “So what?” Shuriki scoffed. “Your power is no match for—Hey!” Shuriki’s wrist was tightened by Callum’s grip and he pulled her hand out of her hand.“Libera Magica!” Callum recited the spell and a burst of magic exploded from the want, sending him flying across the room. The wand flew out of his hand.Back in the manor, Draco saw the magic surge course through the sky and the collar around his neck disappeared. He was free! Shuriki grabbed her wand, but felt something was off. She grabbed Callum by the scarf and shook him. “What did you do?!”“Freed the dragon.” Callum replied, rather smugly.Rayla laughed joyously. “Callum, you genius!”Wild Star and the other unicorns felt a sudden surge of magic and their energy was returning. “Oh, yeah.” Callum added, “And freed all the unicorn magic you stole.”Shuriki pushed Callum to the ground, stomping his throat with her heel. Rayla, using her new wings, flew over and tackled the witch, figthing for the wand. Though most of the unicorn magic was gone, Shuriki still had enough magic to zap Rayla off of her. Callum rushed to her side.“Leave her alone!” Adrien shouted. “It’s me you want!” With that, Adrien ran out of the castle. Shuriki, blinded by rage at having all of her plans thwarted, ran after the boy. Adrien ducked in cover at Shuriki’s now weakened magical blasts. Adrien found the spot he was looking for and stopped to face the witch one final time.“Shuriki, please. We can all start over. I forgive you after all those years. No more hatred. Please.”“And be made a fool of? Never!” Shuriki charged after Adrien, who hid behind a door. Adrien closed it and Shuriki came face to face with an image of the tower. Adrien had led her to the very same door he used before to return to the manor. “Hang on! You forgot something!” Plagg came flying with Ushari, grabbing him by the tail, and tossed him through the painting, screaming.Shuriki found herself back inside the tower, and this in turn removed the magical call that kept her manor hidden. But she wasn’t worried. This was her magic after all. If anyone could reverse it it was her. But when she reached for the window, the fore field around the tower zapped her. “Magic spell upon the tower, I command you to lose your power!” But when Shuriki tried again, the spell shocked her once more. Her magic didn’t work. She couldn’t get out. “No!”Draco flew over the window. “Draco, get me out of here!”“I’m afraid I can’t do that.” Draco smirked. “You said one with a lying heart would be imprisoned forever. Adrien never lied. But you, Shuriki…”Shuriki’s spell echoed in her mind. No, this wasn’t happening. It couldn’t. She didn’t deserve this! This was all Adrien’s fault! “And now, my contract is broken. No longer will I or anyone else serve you. Witch.” With his heart full of relief, Draco flew away from the manor, never to return again. (~) Varían freed the riders and their unicorns from their traps, apologizing for the misunderstanding. The unicorns forgave the alchemist by nuzzling his face. Sophia’s friends arrived, enveloping her in a group hug, even Valentina. Eugene and Rapunzel faced Miles and Marta. The king and queen of Corona hung their heads. “We’re so sorry.” Rapunzel said. “For everything.”Miles bowed his head. “I’m sorry, too. I let Shuriki trick me into seeing the worst in you.”“We all did.” Eugene said. “Can you ever forgive us.”“Of course. None of us ever harmed anyone, nor intended to. If I’m honest, if it had been anyone of my children, I would have reacted the same way you did.”And so, in that moment, the feud was over. Luka and Marinette were overjoyed. Now Luka could return to his sister and mother. All eyes fell upon Adrien when he entered the ballroom again, alive and well. Rayla rushed over to hug him tight, and yes, Plagg joined in as well. “You little evil genius, you!” Rayla ruffled Adrien’s hair.Sophia approached them and Rayla happily permitted Adrien to approach the princess. “Are you okay?”“I’m fine. Are you?”“Never better. And, about not knowing your name, I—”“Don’t worry. Rayla told me everything.” Sophia said.Rayla waved.“You were protecting me.” Sophia said, removing her mask so Adrien could see her beauty in its entirety. “That’s the coolest thing anyone has ever done for me.”Adrien blushed as Sophia took her hand in his and placed a kiss on his cheek. Rayla and Callum stood side by side, happy for the new couple. “Adrien?”Adrien heard his name and looked to the king and queen of Corona. His parents. With bated breath, he stepped closer. The queen’s eyes matched his own. “Mother? Father?”Rapunzel reached out Her hand, touching Adrien’s face. Tears filled both of their eyes. This was her son. Her shinning light. Mother and son embraced for the first time and Eugene joined in. The three slid to the floor, cradling their baby boy.“All those years, I thought I was alone.”“Your mother and I never stopped thinking about you, son.” Eugene said, stroking his son’s hair that reminded him of the golden locks his mother once had. “Our love for you is as constant…” Rapunzel began and she and Adrien finished the last bit, “As the stars above.”Rayla heard wingbeats outside and everyone was startled to see a massive dragon land in front of the castle. Rayla ran out to meet Draco. “You did it, little cub!”“It wasn’t me.” Rayla reached out for Callum’s hand, introducing the two. “It was Callum. He’s quite the talented mage.”Callum bowed before the dragon. “It’s an honor to meet you, noble Draco.”“The honor is all mine, Sir Callum.”“Uh, is that the same dragon we saw in the forest?” Isabel said, pointing at said dragon.“Just roll with it.” Rory shrugged. “I say we get this party re-started!”For once, everyone was in agreement with Rory. Even Valentina agreed. (~) The music played as the guests returned. This time, the Coronans were allowed to enjoy the festivities. Enemies had now become friends. Plagg helped himself to the buffet table, and the guards were more than happy to supply Draco with some delicious sweets, now that they knew he wasn’t a threat. Plagg bumped into Tiki who manifested some cheese for the fairy cat. Plagg knew he had found himself a new friend. Callum finally got to dance with Rayla, and though he was a tad clumsy, Rayla didn’t mind. She actually found it adorable and even mimicked his poor dance moves to make him feel better. Draco observed the two from one of the windows. This Callum boy was the ideal match for his Rayla.Adrien finally got to dance with Sophia, the two lit up the dance floor. Marinate and Luka cheered for the happy couple, and Marinette was already making plans for their first date, suggesting she bake some sweets for a picnic. Luka gently asked her to tone it down a bit. He always was good at calming the hyperactive Marinette whenever she got carried away. Between dances, Adrien asked his mother a question he has been wanting to ask for a long time now.“Hey, Mom. What does ‘Plus est en vous’ mean, exactly?”Rapunzel giggled, and pronounced the words in their original French dialect.“It means; There is more in you.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
With the two kingdoms reunited, peace returned to the land. Adrien had found his family and his freedom. After the Fairy Moon Ball, Adrien returned to Corona with his parents, but promised to visit his new Unciorn Academy friends as soon as possible.
Though he never bonded with a unicorn like he hoped, he did manage to bond with a wild young stallion in the wilderness of Corona. He named him Spirit, because he had a lot of it. Despite not being a unicorn, Adrien was allowed to study at Unicorn Academy so that he could be with other kids his own age.
In time, Adrien and Sophia’s feelings grew, and it wasn’t long before they became the most popular couple in the two kingdoms. Even their respected steeds seemed to grow fond of one another.
As for Rayla and Draco, they traveled to Xadia along with Callum. Callum’s stepfather and little brother Prince Ezran welcomed them with open arms, as did Callum’s friends, Soren and Claudia. Claudia was especially happy to have a new sister and was overjoyed when he heard how close Callum and Rayla had become. Draco quickly grew accustomed to the other dragons in Xadia, reunited with his own kind once more.
And though they now lived far away, Rayla and Adrien remained as close as brother and sister could be. Not even distance could break their bond.
As for Plagg, he remained the same, gorging on all the cheese he could ever dream of.
“What ever happened to Shuriki?” Antonio asked.“Oh, she spent the rest of her life making the rest Ushari’s life miserable.” Mirabel laughed then closed the book. “And they all lived happily ever after.”“Wow. I’m glad Adrien found his familia.”“Me too.”Antonio then tapped his chin, thinking.“What is it?”“I think I know what I want to paint now!” Antonio hurried back outside to where the canvas was waiting and started to paint. After it was finished, the entire Madrigal family marveled at Antonio’s new masterpiece. It was a portrait of his entire family.“What gave you the idea?” Mirabel asked.“Your story. I realized that even though Adrien painted what he dreamed, what he dreamed about the most was being surrounded by the people he loved. Because when you’re surrounded by love, you’ll always be free.”Mirabel hugged her little cousin tight, delighted that he understood the message of the story.“Hey, Mirabel, did that story ever happen? Was Adrien a real person?”“Maybe.” Mirabel winked and looked out the window, where the unicorn constellation shimmered in the night sky.Far away, on the other side of the world, a blond haired boy rode on his wild stallion alongside his beloved unicorn rider. THE END