Sora started after Alex, heart breaking-
And then caught sight of Tyler out of the corner of his eye.
Sora stopped dead, just in time to hear;
"That's brought her down a bit. Good job, Marcy."
Marcy, though, didn't look as pleased. She looked embarrassed.
Tyler didn't seem to notice- he'd noticed Sora staring at him.
"Good job?" Sora spat out.
Tyler rolled his eyes dramatically. Several people sniggered.
"Oh, leave me alone, Sora, just because you're chasing her fame by trying to be friends doesn't mean that you can't admit it; she's a rabbit-toothed loser, an embarrassment to her family-"
Sora ignored him, turning on Marcy.
"I hope you're happy." He told her severely. Marcy didn't meet his eyes- he'd have thought she was ignoring him if she hadn't seemed to shrink away, curling in on herself-
Tyler cut himself off and wheeled towards them.
"Leave her alone!"
Sora shot him an incredulous glance.
"Did you completely miss what just happened, or are you just stupid? I don't think she needs a whole lot of defending."
"Sora-" began Talib, but Sora ignored him. Tyler sneered at the insult.
"Would you like to fight about it?" He asked, hand coming to a rest on his sword.
"Not really." said Sora, untruthfully. In truth, he was ready to knock his front teeth out, but he had eyes. Tyler would annihilate him.
Tyler ignored his preference, and blundered on;
"That's what us princes do, right? Fight over a princess's honour? Not that she has much, but I'm sure we can manage."
The other boy whipped out his training sword, swinging it in a neat arc of silver.
"We'll make it quick, I'm sure- only one of us has a sword."
True, he didn't have his training sword, because he didn't see the need to lug around a big hunk of unsharpened steel all day. But-
"Both of you, stop."
Talib. Oh, no-
Talib got in-between them, holding out his hands in a placating gesture. Sora should have expected it.
"There's no need to fight-" Talib began, but Tyler just laughed.
"Oh, Talib, if you were a proper prince, you'd know that there definitely is. I don't know how a random farm boy from Glass Mountains is topping the rankings with such a pathetic attitude, but I'm gonna put it right, I promise. Get out of the way."
"No." said Talib, with surprising resolve, even though Sora could see the tension in his shoulders-
"Your loss. Get lumped in with Camelot's shame." Said Tyler, grabbed his arm, and yanked him bodily out of the way, hitting him with the butt of the sword for good measure, sending Talib reeling away and the assembled Everboys into a whooping fit.
Tyler turned back to Sora, raised his sword, strode forwards-
And Sora stamped on his instep with every bit of force he could muster.
Something cracked.
Tyler yelled and doubled over, swearing.
Talib gasped. Nadiya, who had dragged him out of the fray and had been watching with her amusement completely unconcealed, whooped.
Tyler lurched back up like a puppet yanked back up by its strings, tottering unevenly on his feet-
Then flung his sword to the ground and swung right back at him.
Talib would rather have been with Sora, especially after he and Tyler had gone down into the grass in a flurry of shouts and hits, but Nadiya had yanked him back.
"Go and find Alex, Talib, I'll get them apart, and hopefully prevent Sora's second detention of the week. Or stop Tyler beating him senseless. Probably both."
"But-"
"Go on, you'll be good at it."
Reluctantly, Talib took a step back, trying to work out how he could possibly find Alex and cheer her up all on his own-
An idea popped into his head.
Ten minutes later, Talib was tottering through the halls of Good, asking everyone who he came across if they'd seen Alex, and carrying a very excited wolf.
No one was much help.
"NO ANIMALS INSIDE!" Pollux squealed from a good ten feet away, presumably having some sort of flashback to the last first-year animal communication lesson that had involved animals entering the castle. Talib ignored him- and caught sight of a canary-yellow gown flitting along the breezeways.
"Professor Anemone-"
"You're looking for Alexandra?" asked Anemone.
Talib blinked.
"Oh. Yes."
Anemone nodded sagely.
"Yes, I saw her pass a few minutes ago. She went that way." She gestured vaguely towards the stairs, then peered over his shoulder. "Do my eyes deceive me, dear, or is Sora fighting Tyler over her?"
"Um. Sort of…?"
Anemone's eyes sparked with interest.
"Oh. I see. Well, maybe I should try and sort it out before Ida gets here, no doubt he'll want to follow her, too-"
Pretty sure Anemone was getting entirely the wrong idea about Sora and Alex's relationship, Talib nodded weakly and let her hurry off towards the doors, before heading up the stairs that Anemone had pointed to. This way only led to classrooms and bathrooms, and as he passed each bathroom he checked, but they were all empty. Where would she have gone? Nowhere open, surely. He couldn't go to the girl's towers, but she definitely wouldn't have gone to her dorm, not with Marcy as her roommate-
He caught sight of a candy-studded sign opposite him.
Surely not.
There was no way Alex would go there intentionally. It would just deepen the wound, surely.
There was no way Alex would go to Merlin's Menagerie.
He took one step through the door and saw that he was wrong.
Alex had gone to Merlin's Menagerie.
As Talib picked his way through topiaries depicting her parent's story, he could see her blonde head, and as he got closer, he could see her feet sticking out from where she'd wedged herself in between the hedges depicting Tedros rescuing Agatha from the thorns outside the gates, and him proposing to her at the Circus of Talents. She didn't look up as he approached.
"Not to sound insensitive," He said gently. "But isn't this going to make you feel worse?"
Alex wiped her nose on her embroidered sleeve.
"It seemed like a good idea at the time." She said to her boots.
Talib sighed, and put down the wolf, which immediately went trotting over to sniff Alex.
Alex looked up, surprised.
"How'd you remember which one was mine?" she croaked, hand instinctively going out to pet its shaggy coat.
"I looked for the muddy one." Talib told her, and was rewarded with the corners of her mouth quirking briefly upwards. "Can I sit down?"
"I'm not sure we'll both fit." Mumbled Alex. Talib had to agree- the combined width of both of their shoulders probably wouldn't work, so he sat down opposite her instead, even if it meant being hit in the face by an excited wolf's tail occasionally.
From what he knew about Alex, he was fairly sure it wouldn't be long before she started talking, so he didn't say anything. Instead they just sat together in silence, petting the wolf, who looked very pleased to have all of this attention.
Finally, Alex cracked.
"I don't get it." She muttered. "Why did she have to be so mean? I didn't say anything wrong." She paused. "Did I? I can't always tell. I tried not to-"
"You didn't say anything wrong," Talib reassured her, trying to sound as calm and convincing as he could. "Marcy was being unreasonable."
Alex scowled.
"I know."
Talib hesitated, trying to think of the right way to put it.
"I know you're mad at her, and she said lots of stuff she shouldn't have, but… I don't think she feels good about it. I think she feels bad. But she's trying to impress Tyler. And because he doesn't really like you, she doesn't feel like she can, either…?"
He trailed off as Alex's watery eyes peered over the top of the wolf at him.
"You're smart," Alex admitted. "But she's not liked me since I chucked a jug of water on her when she passed out."
"Oh. Well, maybe there's that too." Talib conceded.
"I was just trying to help."
"Yeah. I get it."
Alex's shoulders sagged.
"She was all excited about my parents being who they were, too."
Talib peered up at the hedges.
"Sure. But people tend to ignore that it must suck, being overshadowed by them all the time. You're your own person." He paused at Alex's snort. "Overshadowed… oh. Literally and figuratively."
Alex's eyes were big and amazed, though.
"You're so nice. I get why you're on top of the rankings."
Talib felt his ears go hot.
"I'm no nicer than anyone else."
"As far as I know, you never called me a walking disaster."
"That's a very low bar, Alex." Talib told her gently.
"Eh." Alex shrugged.
Uncomfortable, Talib tried to shift the subject a little.
"Who cares about the rankings, anyway? They don't really mean anything." he mumbled, fiddling with his waistcoat.
"Me?" offered Alex. "Because I'm low. And they mean not being a cactus."
"That's just bad luck." Talib said kindly. "You'll do better soon. You did well today. And in Swordplay. And being a cactus doesn't mean you can't be valuable to a fairy tale."
"… I guess. But I'm currently skipping Princess Etiquette."
"And I'm skipping Chivalry."
Alex gasped.
"You're skipping class? How dare you!"
"I- well- I thought- so are you!" Talib blustered as Alex cackled.
"I'm only kidding." She trailed off a little, looking sad again. "I never used to care all that much, you know. About being overshadowed by my parents. When I was little. But you can't really compare a little kid to adults or teenagers. Now I'm older, people do it more, especially stupid Edward Persians."
Talib didn't ask who Edward Persians was.
"It's even worse here." Alex continued. "Everyone apart from Cromwell taught them. And are now horrified about teaching me. Like it's my fault teenage Dad was stupid. Plus, their faces are everywhere." She glared up at Hedge Tedros, who did not glare back, too busy staring at Hedge Agatha (and also because he was a hedge). "And that's saying something- at home, they're on the money."
She stared at Hedge Tedros for a bit longer.
"They can't even get his chin right." She muttered- and promptly burst into tears again.
"I wish they had some less romantic-y stuff up there." Alex told him later, as they shuffle downstairs after she'd finished crying and bad-mouthing Tyler and Marcy, which Talib had let slide, considering they weren't there to hear it. "They've done all sorts of dumb stuff that people ignore in favour of hero-worshipping them. Mom spilled gravy on her wedding dress."
Talib didn't know whether he should laugh or not, so he just smiled-
And then he saw Nadiya rushing towards them across the Entrance Hall, and remembered what he'd left to go and find Alex.
"Oh no, I can't believe I forgot!"
"Forgot what?" demanded Alex. "To go and save a baby deer from the moat or something? Have you got a Be Angelic schedule?"
Talib blinked at her. Alex grinned- but her face fell as Nadiya reached them.
"What's wrong?"
"I forgot to tell you!" Talib told her frantically. "Sora and Tyler went for each other because Tyler said something mean about you, and they ended up fighting-"
Alex blinked.
"Sora fought Tyler?"
She stared at the wall for a minute-
And then looked at Talib, horrified.
"He's not dead is he?"
"No…?" Talib glanced nervously at Nadiya.
"You really think Sora would ever permit Tyler to do something as rude as kill him?" said Nadiya.
"Good point." Said Alex, seriously. Talib glanced between them.
"He's… okay, right?"
"He's got his second nosebleed of the weak and a couple of broken fingers- but yes."
"Oh." Talib sagged in relief. "Good. Is he in trouble?"
"No."
"Wait, really?"
"Well, they've both got detention, which will be awkward, but Sora let slip about the roses, and Cromwell was so horrified that she panicked and let them go. Espada was telling her all about how he'll resolve it in Swordplay, anyway." Nadiya frowned a little. "Not sure that fighting again is a good idea, but at least they'll both have swords this time."
Alex looked surprised.
"She really didn't know about the roses-?"
"No. She looked so relieved that I didn't confront her. I nearly felt bad for her. Nearly."
They all turned to see Sora stumping up the stairs towards them- face bloody and fingers taped up, but otherwise not looking too bad.
"We have been in so many fights." Said Alex tiredly. "I wish our author would think of something else. But she won't, it's the Trial by Tale next, and that's all fighting."
Nadiya stared at her as Talib hurried forwards to help Sora up the stairs, (even though he probably didn't need it, but no one said anything.)
"What?"
Alex blinked back at her.
"Hm?"
"…never mind." Muttered Nadiya as Alex turned away to peer at Sora, a small, smug smile on her face.
"You fought Tyler. For meee."
"Yeah, don't get the wrong idea." Said Sora. Alex grinned at him.
"It's okay, you're too annoying to be my prince."
"The same for you, no matter how big your dowry is." Sniffed Sora.
"Aww, I love you too-"
"Oooh, is this a bad time?"
Talib gawked as Dean Sophie came sailing down the breezeway towards them.
"Oh, hi." Alex yawned as everyone else tried to look busy. "No, we're just professing our ironic undying love for one another."
Sophie blinked.
"…Ironic?"
"Definitely."
"…I think Emma might have gotten the wrong end of the stick…" she trailed off. Alex didn't seem to notice. "Anyway, Alexandra, I came to check up on you, as Aggie demanded that, as you have forgotten to write, as she suspected you would, I tell her how your first few days have been. But in your words. Because, apparently, she doesn't trust mine."
Talib looked doubtfully at Sora. Who looked, similarly, at Nadiya. Who looked in the same way at Alex. Who looked back at them.
All of them stared at Alex's split chin, at her still-bloodshot eyes and scratched hands, then at Sora's bloody nose, at the ranking board where Alex's name languished close to the bottom.
Sophie glanced at the clock behind her.
"Hurry up, darling, I've got a pedicure in ten minutes." She glanced at the ranking board, pulled a face, and looked away. "Shall I settle for a nice, neutral fine?"
Alex was still looking at them.
"No, that's okay." She said thoughtfully.
She looked up at her aunt and grinned.
"It's been brilliant."