A Never After Destroyed (SGE AU)

Don't Throw In The Towel

Dalia huffed as she ran her fingers over the banished books, careful not to knock over any potions this time.

"That was a waste—" she swiveled to discover Aiden laying his papers on the table in a fast motion.

Her mouth was agape, disbelief coating her features. "How did you—"

"While you were entranced by the Storian, I was busy being useful." Aiden said curtly.

Dalia gave him a look and snatched one of the papers, unraveling it warily. It was a letter.

I've found the perfect solution! I've been stuck not knowing where to hide Excalibur for weeks, until an idea struck me. No one would suspect that I'd hide it in Woods Beyond again, so, why not hide it there? Quite an easy solution. 

I think Sophie might be regretting killing her best friends for me. I love her, but the next day Sophie could easily not love me and murder me. She's ruthless like me, and I love her for it, but that witchy attitude could soon be turned against me. So I've taken precautions. 

I've seen her fiddling her ring. And constantly opening her storybook to pages of her and Agatha, hugging and talking, and she cries. She wipes it away quickly though, so I'll give her that. Even though I've already hidden Excalibur in Gavaldon so she can't destroy the black swan gold ring hereby resulting in my death, I've done extra. That she would certainly desert me if she found out. I wiped her mind of Agatha. And I've gotten rid of the storybooks. She'll leave me if I don't. What else to do? In her state of mind, she was competing with Beatrix to win Tedros, but Beatrix won Tedros, and in turn she unleashed her inner witch and found me, and we rose to power.

I'm only writing this for future villains to remember my brilliant schemes. But Sophie is not allowed in my office luckily.

The paper fell from Dalia's grasp as her mind swam with information. Rafal wrote this. He was so afraid Sophie would kill him with a vengeance in the name of Agatha he wiped her memories of her. Dalia couldn't contain a shocked noise that sounded like a half gasp half laugh.

Wait. Rafal said he hid Excalibur in Gavaldon. One of Merlin's questions! Answered.

But how in the spell book do I get to Woods Beyond?

As Dalia pondered her secret Good fantasies, Aiden wrenched the paper from the floor. 

"Just a bunch of soppy letters my mother wrote when she was still mourning Agatha." Aiden said nonchalantly, skimming her paper.

Dalia waited till he read it all. The paper fell to the floor expectedly. Should she do something? Dalia stepped forward, hesitantly patting his shoulder. Her and Aiden walked out of the library, sealing the restricted section as they got out, leaving through the doors.

"She never loved him," Aiden finally said. 

Dalia nodded along awkwardly, unsure how to comfort him.

"Of course she didn't. He pretends Evils love is this wonderful thing, but really the poster couple for it is fake. My mother had Agatha, but she let her go. Now she's stuck with my father, who's too much of a monster to ever be loved." Aiden said bitterly.

As they continued to stroll to the tower stairs in utter silence, Dalia's eye caught a cloaked figure slink past her. The green flaky fabric shimmered with a slimy sheen. Snakeskin. It shimmered in and out of sight, which probably meant the wearer didn't do a good job using it. Dalia met the eyes under the hood.

Snow blue.

What was Stephen doing at this time of night? Better question, why'd he falter just now?