The Great Hall of Ever After High smelled of floor wax and old stone mixed with the tangy musk of magic. The fire in the hearth burned blue. An enchanted frog sat beside the arched doorway, repeating:
— Welcome to the Legacy Day ceremony. Please watch your step. Crrrroak.
The last-year's students passed the frog - some tripping on the step - and walked solemnly outside. On the castle terrace, the audience waited in gelded chairs. Beyond a stream-carved ravine, the Enchanted Forest twinkled with the bright trails of fairies trails. But the students hadn't gathered on the terrace for the view. All eyes were on Headmaster Grimm, standing on the podium. He smoothed his gray-turning-white hair and smiled at the audience.
He held up the Storybook of the Legends so all could see. Magic sparked off it gold-embossed cover like glitter in a whirlwind.
— Today is the most important day in Ever After High, indeed, the most important day in the entire Fairy Tales Kingdom.
The audience cheered.
— This year, Legacy Day is your day — the headmaster said to the last-year's students, who were lined up before the stairs to the podium. They were dressed in the formal Legacy Day outfits, beautiful ball gowns, regal prince suits, mermaid dresses dripping salty puddles.
— Today you take the first step in the claiming your glorious fairy tales legacies. Once you sign the Storybook of the Legends, you're magically bond to your parent's story. You will relive it. In this way, your story, your legacy, and your very life, will be preserved.
The headmaster placed the book carefully on the podium and stepped back.
The first student to climb the stairs rode on the back of a mouse all the way up the side of the podium. The tiny boy leaped off the mouse and declared his destiny as the next Tom Thumb. His signature in the book was a blot the size of an ant.
The daughter of the fairy godmother pushed her glasses up her nose and signed her promise to become the next Cinderella's helper.
A future witch wore her mother's black dress and pointy hat, but emerald flip-flops peeked from beneath the ragged hem. She signed with a frown, hastily wiping a tear off her cheek.
While everyone watched with interest, two in the audience barely breathed. They barely blinked. One leaned forward, yearning for her chance to sign. The other leaned back, as if nervous to get too close. Both would take their turn at the book in just a few seconds. And one's choice would change the Fairy Tales World forever.