The Tale of Two Hearts | Tedros x Reader

Chapter 11: The School Master's Riddle

As the two schools slept, two heads surfaced outside in the black moat. Sophie and Agatha stared at the thin silver tower that stood between the two schools, surrounded by black sludge. It was too far to swim and too high to climb. A group of fairies guarded its spire, while an army of wolves with crossbows guarded its base.

"And you're sure he's up there?" Sophie said.

"I saw him," Agatha replied.

"We need to get out of here. I can't go back to that place. It's turning Y/n against me!"

"Look, we'll just beg him for mercy until he sends us home."

"Because that'll work," Sophie snorted. "Leave him to me."

For the last hour, the two girls had mulled every possible way to escape while Y/n was resting in the infirmary with Tedros. Agatha thought they should sneak into the Woods and find their way back to Gavaldon. But Sophie pointed out that even if they did get past the gate snakes and any other booby traps, they'd just end up lost. In the end, the School Master was the only option.

"We'll never get up there," Sophie sighed.

Agatha heard a squawk in the distance. "Hold that thought."

A short while later, they were back in the Blue Forest, eyeing a nest of big black eggs from behind a bush. In front of the nest, five skeletal stymphs slept.

"As soon as they attack, we jump on."

"As soon as they what?"

But Agatha was already tiptoeing to the eggs.

As Agatha grew closer to the fleshless birds, there was a crack behind her. Agatha spun around to see Sophie had accidentally stepped on a branch, waking the sleeping creatures.

Agatha tried to step back but they came closer to her.

"Can't watch, can't watch–" Sophie mewled, squinting through her fingers for spewing limbs and blood.

But the vicious birds were nuzzling Agatha, like puppies seeking milk.

"Ooh, that tickles!" she squealed. Sophie folded her arms.

Clumping back, Agatha handed an egg to her. "Your turn."

"Oh, please, if they like you, they'll try to mate with me. Animals worship princesses," said Sophie, walking towards the birds.

The stymphs let out a war cry and charged.

"Helllllp!" Sophie threw the egg to Agatha, but the stymphs still chased Sophie, who ran in circles like a lunatic, five stymphs ran behind her until they forgot who was after who and the

birds knocked into each other dizzily.

"See? I outsmarted them," Sophie beamed.

A stymph bit her bottom. "Ayyyiiieee!" Sophie ran for the nearest tree. Only she couldn't climb trees, so she hurled berries at the bird's eye, but the bird had no eye, so the berries went right through its bony socket and plopped to the ground.

Agatha watched stone-faced.

"Aggie, it's coming!"

The stymph charged for Sophie, only to stop short and find Agatha perched on its back.

"Get on, you dimwit!" she shouted at Sophie.

"Without a saddle?" Sophie scoffed. "It'll leave chafe marks."

The stymph lunged for her. Agatha walloped its head and slung Sophie by the waist onto the bird's spine.

"Hang on tight!" Agatha yelled as the bird thrashed up to flight, somersaulting over the bay to get the girls off its back.