CHAPTER 21
After tucking Zar in the comfort of his own room, Fang awaits for the sun to set and for the darkness of the night to consume the land Auradon before executing her devised plan. The clock says 5:13PM, suggesting that she has less than eleven hours to accomplish her task and fulfill her end of the bargain with Mǔqīn.
Seating beside Zar's bed, Fang stared at the clock and wait as it ticks away to her desired time. The hand ticked 8:00PM. The pawns are now making their moves within the chessboard, and any given moment now, so is she.
She then heard her footsteps as she passes by in front of Zar's room. Right on schedule. Fang smiled. Taking Extinct and Oblivion, Fang gave Zar a goodbye kiss before disappearing into the darkness. It's now time to move the first pawn.
After retrieving all of her spy cameras, Mystery Girl locked her room and set her tools and gadgets in preparation for cutting and editing the videos for the School of Secrets website. The day had been eventful and most of them were caught by her cameras with the fight between Fang and Prince Eleazar as the highlight.
Those two, unknown to the rest of Auradon and Auradon Prep, are the Crown Prince and Princess of Arendelle. The future King and Queen of the only country in the world that's capable of world domination. And today, Chad, the prince Charmington had caused trouble for the couple that didn't just lead into the unwanted fight between the two of them but had also compromises the allegiance of Auradon to Arendelle.
The event had then caused a leak about the true identities and statuses of Eleazar and Fang and within just an hour, it spreads like a vicious virus throughout the States of Auradon. The next hour that follows then were filled with apprehensions on the possibility that Auradon might enter a war against Arendelle, something that any sane person will interpret to be the same as suicide.
Thankfully, something along the way happened and Queen Elsa had changed her decision, pardoning Auradon as well as Chad for the harm that they'd caused to her son. Everyone rejoiced, who wouldn't be. However, their attentions were also diverted immediately from the root of the problem.
Chad Charming.
Mystery Girl hated it. She hated anyone who doesn't live up with the reputation of Auradon as the land of heroes. Throughout the passing years, the moral of the succeeding generations had depleted. The young men and women of her generation are becoming more and more hollow and spoiled, boasting and leeching from the gallantry of their parents.
That's why she'd made it her life's goal to battle those that stain the good reputation of her beloved kingdom by exposing their true colors to the world through the School of Secrets. It's depressing, she'll admit that. Especially when she exposes the rottenness of a person that everyone, even she herself, adores so much.
But if there are bad, there are good things as well. Her work had also captured and uncovers hidden goodness and heroisms that often never made itself known to the world. Those cases are the breathers for her, a constant reminder that not all things that her cameras capture are bad.
However, the case for today is not one of those. This is about exposing the rottenness of one person that pretends to be a God's gift to mankind. His arrogance had almost cost them their kingdom and he's currently walking away with it. Nah-ah. No way. Not on her watch.
The world will know the crime of Chad Charming, she will make certain of that. And luckily, most of the vital parts of the events were captured at the exact places where she happen to plant her cameras, the one on the tourney field and the one inside the guests' lounge.
Mystery Girl smiled. "Chad Charming, you're going down."
"You're gonna knock him with that?" A deep voice suddenly said. "Quite petty if you ask me."
Mystery Girl flinched, screaming. "Who's that?" She panted, looking around the empty space of her bedroom.
An arm suddenly locked around her neck, gagging her, and a dagger pointed just an inch in front of her face. "Doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that you have something that I needed."
"What the?" Mystery Girl gasped, not in fear but in complete lack of understanding. An arm is taking hold of her neck, she can see that. A dagger is being pointed in front of her, she can also see that. Surely, there's a person standing behind her, grabbing her neck and pointing that weapon on her. And yet, she feels nothing. She could not feel anything but air behind her. It's if the only body parts that exist on this person, whoever he or she is, are the arm and the knife.
She gasped again. Could it be a ghost? The idea had immediately sent goosebumps all over her body. Okay, now she's really trembling in fear. "What do you want?"
"Cooperation," the voice whispered against her ear. "You know, unlike the rest of Auradon Prep, I managed to figure out who's the face behind the enigmatic Mystery Girl."
Mystery Girl swallowed hard. How could that be possible? She'd been nothing but careful in order to keep her identity hidden not just from the students of Auradon Prep but from Auradon as a whole, her family included. So how the hell that this person had figured out who she really is?
It's a ghost. She reminded herself again, something that she better stop doing because the shakings in her knees are intensifying.
"And if you won't do what I say, I will expose and feed you to the rabid animals of this school that are drooling over on knowing who you really are."
Yeah, of course. The rabid animals. The students that despised her to the core for ruining their fake good boy and good girl images by exposing their true and crappy attitudes.
"Or, I can just gouge your eyes if you say no."
Alright, Mystery Girl is persuaded enough on the first threat. The gouging of eyes was completely unnecessary. "I'll do it!"
Cinderella and her husband were preparing the papers and documents needed for Chad's admission to the Military School when the security alert of Charmington Castle starts wailing like crazy at every chambers and corridors of their home.
Her husband went immediately to her side, embracing her protectively in his arms. "What is going on?" Cinderella agitatedly asked when three of their royal guards burst into the room to provide them cover.
"We're being attacked!" One of the guard that turns out to be Alex, the General of their army and her husband's best friend declared, his sword pointing towards the door.
"What!?" Charles exclaimed. "Who are they, Alex? How many of them?"
"I have no idea, Charles." Alex answered again. "We didn't see or hear anything but we were just suddenly attacked and now they're inside the castle."
Inside the castle! That can't be possible. Charmington is the second largest military force of Auradon next to Camelot and Olympus and the foremost part of their castle is that of a fortress. It can't be easily breached by anyone in the kingdom even by the villains from the Isle. Not unless…
Cinderella gasped. Arendelle. What if they are under attack by Arendelle? That's very plausible considering that her son had harmed their prince. She had thought that it was kind of weird of them to just give pardon without asking for any retribution. Arendelle is not that forgiving.
"They're heading this way." Alex added.
"How's that possible?" Charles asked again.
Before the Alex could answer, they heard the battle cries of the stationed guards outside. But seconds later, those cries of passions were replaced by screams in terror and agony before they were silenced. Their guards tightened their defenses.
"Where's Chad?" Cinderella worriedly asked. "Where's my son?"
"My second in command is personally leading the troop that I sent to safeguard the prince. So worry not, he's in the safest hands."
The door burst open followed by a strong wind gusting towards them. Her husband embrace on her tightened and the guards prepares to attack. However, what welcomes them behind the recently forced-open door is nothing but an empty space.
Still, Alex, the two guards and her husband remain in high alert, glancing to all possible direction for an attack. They can't see it but they can tell that a threat is present.
"Oops, wrong room." A voice said before a gust of wind blows them again. And for a split second there, Cinderella is certain that she saw a faint silhouette in front of the door before disappearing completely after they're blown by the gust.
"Did you hear that?" Cinderella asked her husband.
He nodded.
Everyone remains guarded, though even Cinderella that has no battle experience could tell that the threat had left.
"What just happened?" Charles asked Alex.
"I honestly have no idea, my friend." Alex informed them. "But I believe that we're out of danger."
Cinderella is relieved but at the same time sensed an awful feeling at the pit of her stomach. It seems very odd that they were left unscathed. If these infiltrators are assassins sent by Arendelle as she assumed to destroy Charmington for revenge, then why did they spare them? Her and her husband's death is equivalent to the destruction of Charmington. So it's beyond odd that even though they find them, something that Cinderella is so certain about that happened, is that they didn't even dare to harm them. It doesn't make any sense.
Then a realization struck her that instantly sent her in extreme horror and panic. They are not the targets. The target is not the King or the destruction of Charmington. Whoever these raiders are, they are only after one person. That's why the voice said, 'wrong room.'
"Honey," she exclaimed. "We need to find Chad!"
Her husband was baffled on her sudden burst of panic. But when she explained to him what she believed is going on, he too had carried the same reaction.
"Bring all the guards to Chad's quarter," he ordered Alex. "Protect him with everything we had left."
Alex nodded and radioed the leader of the troop that's guarding their son. "Bravo, this is Alpha. Do you copy?" No answer. "I repeat. Bravo, this is Alpha. Do you copy?" He tried again.
This time someone answered from the opposite line. "Sorry, Bravo is unavailable right now. Do you want to leave a message?"
Cinderella's breathing ceased. It's the same voice that she heard when they were almost attacked earlier.
"Who is this!?" Alex demanded.
"Doesn't matter," the voice said. "Just tell King and Queen Charming though that I'm borrowing their son. Buh-Bye." Then the line died.
The world around Cinderella spun before everything turned black.
END OF CHAPTER 21