A Lion Or a Snake?

by FanfictionWriter8

Everyone is still shocked at Rhian's betrayal. Agatha is in hiding, invisible on the Igraine, and Sophie is forced to play the part of his queen... or get sliced open with Excalibur. No one can tell who is the Lion and who is the Snake anymore. This time their new fairytale will truly end - the question is, how? With the Lion or the Snake? Set after Quests for Glory.

1. Chapter 1

Sophie watched Agatha flee from Camelot Castle, swallowing a scream. She wanted to call out to her friend, tell her to run faster, as cheers of "KING RHIAN!" enveloped her in shock. And she could feel the cold press Excalibur's tip, right on her spine.

Camelot's new king placed the crown on his head, gold and diamonds reflecting the blinding morning sun, shattering it into a thousand rays of light. Guards and pirates sprinted away, desperate to catch Tedros's princess before she disappeared, but, to Sophie's relief, Agatha disappeared into the distance, safe, at least, for now.

Rhian smiled at her, but he didn't lift the sword from her back. "I said I'd make you feel like a queen, remember?"

Sophie didn't answer, as a cold, empty sensation filled her heart, where it had once beat for a dashing knight of Camelot. She looked up into his eyes, and she couldn't see that Rhian anymore. All she could see was a Snake.

Rhian studied her carefully, eyes hardening. "I love you, Sophie. And you will be my queen. Isn't this what you want? To rule Camelot, side-by-side?" his eyes drifted to her diamond ring, the ring Sophie could feel weigh on her finger as if it weighed 10 kilograms. "King Rhian and Queen Sophie. Our Never After."

She winced, hearing that phrase for the first time in six months. Memories of her cruelty in desperation for a crown flooded through her head, making Sophie shudder. She'd escaped an Evil School Master and now she had been tricked into dating a Snake. So much for True Love, she thought. But then she remembered Tedros and Agatha. Tedros, who was locked his own dungeon, in his own kingdom… Agatha, who was fleeing from her broken Ever After…

Rhian let her go, guessing how she felt now. "Take her to her rooms," he told tattooed Thiago and sunburnt Wesley. Sophie made a mental note not to ignore Dot again.

Sophie locked eyes with him as the pirates tugged her away, mouthing the words, "I trusted you."

She saw Rhian flinch, Excalibur in hand, mouth open. Then he turned away with a kingly smile, bowing to the cheers of the gathered Sons of the Lion and members of the Lion's Army.

She looked back towards the horizon, praying that her best friend was okay.