Sasha POV

The castle is bleak, I look at Anne and point toward the box.

"Me and Grime will hold him! Just go!" Anne and her frog family run towards the glowing portal, and Grime and I turn to King Andrias. He knocks us both back within a second, and I lay on the stone floor, until Grime picks me up. I get back onto my feet, and I raise my sword in the air but I fall backwards, about to hit the floor. I miraculously fall on my feet, and Anne and the Plantar's go into the portal.

I know it's wrong that I want to stay.

It's wrong I tried to keep Anne and Marcy here.

I don't mean to be the bad guy.

That was never what I wanted.

Marcy runs to the side with the Calamity Box, and Andrias comes up behind her, his flaming sword raised.

"Marcy! Wait, Andrias is behind you!" I scream, Grime gives me the side eye, and Marcy gives me a confused look. I sprint up to Marcy and shove her out of the way. She grunts, and Andrias brings his sword down on the nearest one of us- me. I fall backwards, searing pain on my face. My hands go up to my face instinctively, blood coating my palms. My eyes are both squeezed shut.

"Sasha!" Anne screams.

"I'm ok." I stand up, ignoring the searing pain, and I reach for my sword. Grime yells my name. My eyes are still closed.

"Whoops." King Andrias says mockingly.

"I have some very strong words about what you did to my litinuant!" Grime yells from where he is, King Andrias stepping on him.

"Sasha!" Anne cries again.

"Oh, I'm fine." I say, wiping my bloody hand on my skirt.

"Looks like the one eye on your cape isn't as symbolic anymore, huh Sasha?"

"What do you-" I ask, my eyes fluttering open and I scream.

"What's going on?" Marcy asks, on the floor from where my armour accidentally knocked her out when I knocked her out of the way, from where King Andrias was going to stab her through the torso, but stabbed me in the eye instead.

"Sasha...oh my gosh. What happened?"

"Marcy, we need to go! It's closing! I'm sorry Sash-" Anne yells, beckoning towards Marcy, before it closes, knocking the music box towards me and sending Anne and her Frog Family home. Marcy passes out again, and I fall to my knees. I grasp my sword, Grime throws the warhammer at the king, who falls backward. Grime picks me up with his tongue, and sends me out the window.

A thousand feet up.