The School for Good and Evil: One Last Tale

13 - A Foreboding Feeling

Sophie

My heart is beating loud enough for me to hear against the rain splattering the windows. It has been a long time since I last dreamed about my fairytale but the effect is still as strong. It's okay. The fairytale ended long ago. You're safe now. I whisper words to myself, trying to reassure my heart. Slowly, it begins to work, the rain growing louder against it.

I'm not sure of the time but darkness alerts me that it is too early to be awake. I'm not sure I could fall asleep again. Despite it being a dream, I am left with an uneasiness. Why is it that I'm dreaming of my story now? I imagine it's down to wedding nerves that secretly exist despite what others think.

Maybe I need to do something for myself to dispel any nerves once and for all.

Slowly, I slip on slippers and slip my way out of my room. I try to be as quiet as possible but luckily the storm outside is masking the creaks in the floor. There are some guards that give me a quizzical look as I pass but none of them are brave enough to question me. Luckily it seems to be too early for the servants to be readying the castle for the day otherwise I'm in danger of becoming the subject of gossip.

The kitchen seems empty without people even though I rarely venture down here. I may not be a princess like Aggie but living in Camelot I can still enjoy some luxuries. Walking to a nearby cupboard, I rummage inside looking for ingredients. Even if I can't find all the ingredients I want, at least I can then find out what I'm working with.

"Couldn't sleep?" I jump at the sudden voice, dropping the carrot I was holding. I'm not sure whether I didn't notice him or he slipped past me.

Bending over, I quickly pick up the carrot clutching it to my chest. "It seems you can't either."

"Did the storm wake you?" Hort steps towards me, his face lit by flickering candlelight. A few years ago I would have been repulsed at him but now there's this warm feeling inside my chest. It's a deep feeling that I never had with Tedros; it just took a little longer for me to see it.

"Did it wake you?" I rummage more in the cupboards, collecting the last of my ingredients.

Hort moves behind me, grabbing a bowl before my fingers reach it. "I stayed up late sparring with Tedros."

"I don't want you getting hurt before the wedding," I mutter, snatching the bowl from his grasp so I can start chopping and mixing all the ingredients together. It's not that I actually worry about Hort's safety, my concern is that the wedding won't go ahead if he's too injured. No that's not right, I shouldn't be worried at all because he's good with a sword.

I expect Hort to talk more but he just stands behind me, allowing me to make the face mask of my dreams. It smells so good when I'm done and all the ingredients should make my skin feel replenished, the perfect thing to chase away a bad dream.

"Why couldn't you sleep?" I stop mixing as Hort finally speaks. "I told you my reason but you never told me yours."

"The storm," I answer, scooping the mixture into a jar that will be easier to carry back to my room. I'm not sure why I'm lying, maybe because it's easier than being open to someone. Even if I'm going to marry him soon, I'm still not comfortable being my true self around Hort.

His hand reaches towards the jar, pulling it towards himself. He turns to stare at me with his dark chocolate eyes that causes pinkness to spread to my cheeks. "What's the actual reason that you can't sleep?"

I sigh, realising that Hort knows me a lot better than I thought. "I had a dream about my fairytale." Seeing that Hort is about to speak, I move my finger towards his lips, pressing it tight. "Yes I know that it's in the past and nothing will hurt me now. It was just a stupid dream.

There's a relieved smile under my finger as I say the words he wanted to hear. Slowly I remove my finger wiping it on my clothes. "It sounds more like it was a nightmare."

"A nightmare is a kind of dream and the main thing is that I'm over it." I reach a hand towards the jar but once again Hort removes it from my reach.

"It's okay to be anxious Sophie," he says, his hand finding mine. "We're getting our happy ending despite everything else. Your fairytale isn't going to come and ruin it. That story is over and it won't open again."

It's not until Hort says it that I realise that it's been playing on my mind so much. Tears start to brim at my eyes close to spilling over. "I know that. The Storian's even started a new story, it won't go back to ours."

"See," he rubs the back of my palm slowly trying to reassure me. "I promise you Sophie, we're going to finally get our happy ending and nothing is going to stop it."

The small voice in my head wants me to disagree. Even now I've become Good, I'm still a Never and it's a well-known fact that they don't get a happy ending.

But things are different now. Other Nevers are happy, even if their endings don't look like a giant castle with a gorgeous prince. My happy ending might not be the picture-perfect one but it's the one I want.

"Okay, I trust you Hort. If you say nothing's going to stop it, then nothing will." He smiles as I say it and this time, I truly do believe it. My fairytale is over, nothing can stop my happiness except myself. Together with Hort by my side, I'll get my happily ever after and no finished story can stop me.