I said I would start writing this new project of mine and I did. Ever After High is another little guilty pleasure of mine, one that I got very recently.

After reading another EAH story by a fellow author, I was inspired to write this EAH/For Honor crossover. For Honor is a game of mine that is one of my favorites and I recently got back into playing it. If you are a fan of games that involve knights, then I think you'd enjoy playing it.

And since one of the four factions in the game is the Knights, it works as a fandom to cross over with EAH since EAH is set in a fantasy world with knights, magic, and fairy tales. While For Honor is much more realistic as it does not have any fantasy elements in the game, the Knights would be a great fit as a part of EAH.

This story is inspired by "Knights of the Otherworld" by Ten-Faced Paladin. Go check that out as it is a really good story.

The standard yellow school bus driving along the wilderness road probably seemed out of place to the animal inhabitants that wandered the thick forest but many of the teenagers on the bus did not pay attention to the unusual sight of a large city vehicle rolling through the pine tree-filled forests of the backcountry. They were too busy being rambunctious and rowdy to care about it to begin with. Not that they would have done so in the first place if they weren't distracted since they were just teenagers.

One particular teenager was not exactly happy to be all the way out in the woods, a male of average height with lightly-tanned skin and chocolate brown hair cut short who was sitting on the bus trying to preoccupy himself but couldn't. Huffing in frustration, he started to look out the window to watch the trees and foliage that the bus was zooming by, slowly closing his eyes in an attempt to at least relax somewhat.

The reason the group of 13 teenagers were on the bus in the first place was that they had been selected from their school to participate in a semester-long group event at an camping complex in the woods. According to the principal, the teens were chosen because of their school records not reflecting well on the institution, meaning they had done nothing to 'better the image of the school' or for some other reason like their parents asking to send their children to the event so they could improve themselves. They would be doing their schoolwork at the complex for the entire semester starting at the of the summer break, something many of the kids weren't too happy to hear.

Of course, Evan Marshall, the brown-haired teen with his eyes closed, knew that the principal and the administrators just wanted to mooch off of the possibility that he and the others chosen could become important figures in the future and ride their coattails. But Evan's parents were convinced by what the staff at his school had said and saw it as an opportunity to have him stand out as a future member of the world's high society. He didn't know if the other kids' parents had the same motivation his did, but based on looking at some of the tendencies and actions exhibited by some of them, he would bet good money that they had also been swayed by the administrators' honeyed words or just wanted them out of their hair for a bit. However, he was incredibly suspicious of how easily the staff of the school convinced their parents to send them to wherever they were headed to but shoved the thought to the back of his mind to ignore it.

The other teens' appearances were what one would usually find in a typical high school. One boy with windswept blond hair wore blue jeans, white tennis shoes, and a casual but nice-looking shirt with a fish emblem on the front pocket, another had short, spiky black hair and was dressed in a blue jean jacket, collared shirt, khakis, and a pair of low cut skate shoes, and the only girl in the group had shoulder-length black hair, an asymmetrical top, leggings, beanie, and running shoes with two stud earrings in her ears. The rest of the group appeared to be part of certain stereotypical high school cliques, and all of them looked to be at the beginning of their sophomore year, the same age he was.

Evan usually wore a regular collared shirt, jeans, and running shoes, which caused him to be overlooked sometimes as he seemed to be just an average high school teen that got into trouble, played video games and sports, gossiped, and gorged themselves on junk food. He was fine with people seeing him that way as he tended to stay in the middle of all the major groups in his school, never really spending too much time with them to be considered part of them instead rather keeping in the middle of all the groups while not straying too far to one side or the other. Oh, he had friends in some of them, but he didn't consider them as close friends instead of school classmates that he sometimes hung out with. It irked his parents because they had big dreams of him becoming well-known in the world, something he had no interest in to begin with. From what he could figure out, they were supposedly part of a high-class lineage that they never got to show off. But what they wanted for him wasn't what he wanted for himself since he had no desire to become some famous celebrity that got scrutinized by everyone and would rather live a regular life without having to worry about things like that.

He looked at the front of the bus. A couple of the boys were chatting with each other about the latest news regarding famous athletes, musicians, celebrities, and whatnot. One was cleaning his nails with a Swiss Army tool as he talked and had a look about him that screamed 'mischievous troublemaker', complete with a skater outfit consisting of a rock band t-shirt, skate shoes, hooded jacket, and camo cargo shorts. 'Well that's one guy whose parents wanted to get away from them so they could have some peace and quiet.' he mused. He tuned out the rest of the conversation for the time being...

"Well, we're here, you brats. Wait on the bus while I check in with the staff... and don't do anything stupid while I'm gone!" shouted the driver at them as he walked off the bus, clearly irritated at having to drive a group of annoying high school students to a place so far out in the country.

Evan opened his eyes and looked out the window. A large number of well-furnished hunting cabins along with a very large log cabin-styled building and several other structures immediately filled his view as he peered into the distance. Someone on the bus made a comment pertaining to how luxurious the place appeared and compared it to a nice, posh chalet. He could not help but agree and groaned. This looked like a place where spoiled rich kids would feel right at home.

"I'm going to be stuck here? Terrific. It may look nice, but there is no way I am going to enjoy this. I would rather be listening to music in my room or doing something else than be at a school-funded event that the teachers forced upon me." a very tall boy with a large fanned mohawk in the back made his opinion known to the vehicle's occupants.

"From the looks of it, this place is possibly very expensive to even use. How in the world did the school afford to use this complex in the first place?" wondered a boy with medium length black hair and backwoods-styled clothes.

A good-looking boy with blond hair in an undercut responded, "Some parent at the school probably had connections to this place and was able to get the owner's permission to use it as a location for this little 'outing' of ours."

The lone female of the bus began to sniff the air like she had just caught a whiff of some odd smell. "Do any of you smell something weird in here?"

Now that she mentioned it, there was an unusual fragrance drifting through the air on the bus, and it was getting stronger. "I smell it. What's taking the driver so long? It's been a while since he left, shouldn't he be back by now?" questioned the handsome blond. And he was right, the bus driver had been gone for a lengthy period of time and there was no sign of him or any people who ran or worked at the complex.

Evan looked through the window and around the area and squinted when he saw an object lying next to a building. He was finally able to discern the object after a few seconds and his eyes widened when he figured out what it was. "I think I know where the driver is. Look in the distance next to the largest building."

All of them looked and saw the bus driver slouching against the side of the main building of the complex with his eyes closed and chest going up and down slowly, indicating he was sleeping. "How in the world did that happen?" a bewildered boy with platinum blond hair and brown eyes scratched the back of his head in confusion.

The spiky, black-haired kid that Evan had seen earlier on the bus ride started to yawn and sleepily commented while trying to keep his eyes open, "I feel so sleepy right now... I think it's the..." He didn't get to finish his statement as he drifted off to sleep and started snoring lightly.

"What was he about to..." another blond boy on the bus said before he too succumbed to the call of sleep.

Evan tried to stay awake but he was also on the verge of falling asleep as well. Slowly but surely he was out like a light and deep asleep.

"That's the third person to fall asleep! What is... going... on... right..." Once again, another kid lost consciousness, the only girl being the victim this time around.

One by one, the rest of the kids on the bus slipped into the land of dreams. The last kid awake, a boy with blue eyes and messy brown locks, looked out the front window as he struggled to walk to the front of the vehicle. He felt the bus begin to roll and saw the doors of a barn large enough to fit the bus open a bit away from the vehicle. Inside the open space was a swirling portal with no view of to where it led. The teen felt his eyes close and slumped to the floor of the bus, no longer able to stave off the sleepiness setting in.

The bus rolled through the portal and subsequently disappeared from view, the portal faded out of sight and left the space of where it had been completely empty, and the barn doors closed shut as if they had never been opened in the first place...

Leaving no sign of the bus or the group of 13 teenagers on it.

The day was going quite normally for the Village of Book End. Everyone was indulging in their daily tasks and activities and it was a beautiful day.

Today the students of Ever After High were preparing for a new school year. This year would be an important one for them as it would affect their future as well as the future of Ever After.

However, a group of newcomers would soon greatly impact both the students' futures and their world... hmm...

Something wrong, honey?

This is new, I don't remember seeing this in the story... how could this have gotten in the story?

Odd, I do recall this being a different line before. Brooke, did you have something to do with this?

Mom, I swear I had nothing to do with this! But it's in the story so we have to read it!

She's not wrong, but I just don't understand how the story's been changed.

Does it really make a difference, Dad? It's still the story!

I suppose you're right, Brooke.

Thank you, Dad. Now since that's over and done with, I'll get to reading. The group of newcomers were fast asleep as the bus drove through the inky black darkness of the dimension the portal led to and approached a window opening up in the dark void...

The bus popped out of the dimension of nothingness and slowly rolled to a stop in a small wooded area at the outskirts of a group of buildings clustered together around a large castle-like structure. Within a minute or two, the occupants started to wake up from their quick nap and rubbed their eyes in an effort to get themselves fully awake.

"Does someone want to tell us what just happened back there and why we all fell asleep?" an irritated boy with a brown fauxhawk, football jersey, gym shorts, and Converse high tops asked the rest of the group as he stretched out his arms in an effort to wake up more.

The teen who was the last to lose consciousness told his fellow teenagers, "I was the last one awake, but you're probably not going to believe what I saw right before I blacked out." The rest of them shrugged and motioned him to continue. "The bus started moving by itself and rolled to the entrance of a nearby barn whose doors opened up. In that space was something that looked like a portal... I think we went through it and came out here."

"He's telling the truth. Right before I fell asleep myself, I felt the bus move underneath my feet and heard a set of large doors opening as well as a sound I could not identify," a tall pale-skinned kid with black hair in a spiky quiff gave his input. "Hey, where are we? This doesn't look like anything like the complex."

Jordon Richard, the handsome blond with the undercut, slowly stood up and looked out the front of the bus. His eyes widened at what he saw. "Because it's not. Look." He walked to the glass window at the front and pointed towards the outside. The others on the bus froze when they saw what he was pointing at.

The scene Jordon had drawn their attention to was a clearing with a dirt path leading to a quaint little village that was currently not visible and also a bit of a journey from their current location. Normally this view would not be anything special but the inhabitants and appearance of the clearing was what set it apart from a typical outdoor area. It was not a sight one would think they would usually witness in the outdoors.

Running around the clearing were very short organisms that looked to be hybrids between animals and young children, each having the appearance of a young child with animal features such as tails, ears, fur, and even whiskers. A unicorn stood on its four legs grazing under a tall tree while off to the side, small pixies fluttered around in the open, and there were small animals the group had the suspicion that they were highly intelligent.

"It's like I'm looking into a fairy tale." said the girl of the group, not knowing how true her comment was. The others had to agree with her statement, this p[ace was something cut straight out of the pages of a fantasy book.

"Wonderful, now all we need is a nice little town filled with villagers that are way too cheerful for their own good." snarked the skater kid that was cleaning his nails with the Swiss Army tool earlier.

Without warning, the bus lurched forward and sent the kids tumbling into their seats. It drove slowly along the road until it came to the entrance of the village, continuing through it with the group looking through the windows and staring at its citizens and buildings.

"Oh come on! I was being sarcastic!"

The village's buildings were in a style that was more along the lines of fantasy in a modernized form. Some of them were made of bricks in an old German village style and others were more on the medieval side and looked like cottages that would not be too out of place in the Middle Ages. There were even structures that had more of a modern touch to them and looked no different than what one would see in a small city or large suburb. It was kind of a hodgepodge of buildings that would normally look unappealing when in such close proximity with one another, but it somehow worked in a way that the buildings looked magnificent and not out of place at all.

Even the people in the village adhered to the trope as well. Many of them were dressed in clothes that were reminiscent of what a classic fairy tale or fantasy character would be dressed in but tailored and suited to be much more stylish and in line with the modern age and its fashion. It was like seeing Disney classics made for the 21st century.

While all the teens were staring at the village and its citizens in awe, the bus rolled through the village streets and finally slowed down at a large building that looked to be a shop, pulling around to the back of it and parking underneath a canopy connected to the structure. The doors to the bus opened to let the teens out, but they were in a new and unfamiliar environment and had no intention of wandering into a strange shop without knowing where they were now and why they were taken in the first place.

Of course, being the kind of person he was, Jordon was either brave or foolish enough to step out of the bus and walk directly to the shop's door. "Well, you guys coming in? Whatever happened to us back at the camp complex was done for a reason and was also not a happy but unfortunate accident, it was done on purpose. If we arrived in this weird fantasy land by someone bringing us here, then I'd rather want to know who they are and why they wanted us specifically than stay in the dark about it.'' explained the blond teen, looking back at the others through the corner of his eye as he opened the door and waited for them to follow.

The blond teen with the fish shirt scoffed, "'Bringing us here'? What are you, a science fiction nerd?" He pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "Whatever. Might as well see what this is all about." The kid hopped off the bus and began following behind the other blond, allowing Jordon to hold open the door for him to walk through.

The rest looked at each other and shrugged. Copying the actions of the two blonds, they walked through the entrance, closing the door behind them on the way in.

Once they entered, they realized the shop was a weapons and armor store, signified by the suits of armor showcased in glass cases and different types of melee weapons each laying in a second case in front of a single armor's own case. Each of them were surprised at just how well every single piece of gear was made and cared for. One of the teens noticed a banner hanging from the ceiling over a doorway and took a closer look at it. The banner was green, yellow, and white and had a black-colored image of a sword that pointed down and turned into the roots of a tree as it went down the cloth.

"Huh. I wonder what that symbol is." pondered the jean jacket-wearing teen with spiky black hair. He shook his head and continued to the next room where the rest of the group was.

The next room had a series of large portraits of adults in armor like those of knights in the Middle Ages. Next to each portrait was a picture of a young high schooler dressed in clothes like that of the townspeople and around the same age as the teens currently viewing them. None of the audience understood or knew who these people were in any of the images.

The boy with the fauxhawk asked, "Who are these guys? They look as if they'd fit right in with wherever we are now." His new companions found themselves agreeing with him.

"That's because they do." explained a male voice coming down from a set of stairs. The group's heads shot up and looked to the stairs to see a middle-aged man walking down them and stopping in front of the group. "Those teenagers you see in the pictures were the adults in the portraits when they went to high school and before they grew up and became some of the better-known members of the Iron Legion."

The new arrival was a clean-shaven man in his late forties dressed in a collared shirt, business tie, khaki pants, and dress shoes with his jet black hair cut in a undercut fade with short spikes on the top. He gave off a vibe like that of a youthful grandfather that had done a lot in his life and would give his grandchildren good advice to steer them in the right direction but also discipline them if they started to get in trouble.

Jordon piped up, "Are you talking about the Iron Legion in the Tale of Heathmoor, the famous medieval story that tells of the Four Factions and their warriors that were embroiled in a conflict that lasted multiple centuries and got started by a series of massive natural disasters coming one after another?"

"You are correct. In your world, it may be just a legend, but here in Ever After, it is very much real. As are the fairy tales which inspired Disney movies that many of you grew up watching as young children. Many of the villagers you saw are children of the original characters of those stories or the characters while some are part of their own tales."

The man smiled cheerfully at the teenagers, realizing a small blunder on his part. "Forgive me, I have not introduced myself to you yet. My name is Dante, I'm the owner of Ashfeld Armor and Weapons, the shop and lodge you are in right now. I apologize for bringing you here on such short notice and without warning, but you were the best and most-fitting candidates that I could find."

The giant of a boy with the mohawk raised his hand. "Candidates for what?"

"You are best suited to help many of these fairy tales' children with making choices involving their futures, specifically whether they want to follow their destined future or not, as well as this world's future."

"I think we may need a little background information on this, Dante." Evan explained to the man since none of them quite got what he was saying.

Dante nodded. "Well, as you know, the stories of the Brothers Grimm and other fairy tales are quite real in Ever After. Many of the members of these tales grew up and had children, and these children go to Ever After High, a high school for fairy tales that their parents went to as well. Unfortunately, they are also supposed to follow in their parents' footsteps as the next Snow White, Cinderella, Frog Prince, Huntsman, etc. and repeat their predecessors' tales. The main belief in this world is if you don't follow your destined story, both you and your story will no longer exist, a belief that is especially supported by Milton Grimm, the headmaster of Ever After High and a descendant of the original writers of the Grimm Fairy Tales. But there's a movement, the Rebels, that has popped up and gained traction from fairy tales that do not want to repeat these stories and instead want a different, happier ending to their story. Many of the more unfortunate children of the villains, as well as quite a handful of those who are not their kids, feel this way and want to be happy and not miserable for the sake of someone else living out their wildest dreams. However, a counter movement, the Royals, has also appeared in reaction and is just as prominent as the Rebels. Of course, a large majority of the protagonists are followers of it and want to keep things their way, especially ones who inherit happy destinies. While many on both sides are friendly with each other, there are a few of the Royals who do try to influence their counterparts' decisions a little or meddle a bit and attempt to change their minds using outside influences such as Milton Grimm. The entire situation is a very messy affair and the headmaster's doing nothing to improve it." he finished with a sigh.

A blond boy with the sides of his head shaved and the hair on top in long spikes said to Dante, "It kind of sounds like how political minorities back home are treated with people trying to influence their choices and say their view is wrong. It also has a similar feeling to situations with parents that want to have their children do they want to be happy and not what the children want so the kids are happy. But why do you need us?"

"You are kids who didn't grow up in this world and you are open minded to reasonable change. The Rebels need help from kids with fresh perspectives that are not cut from the same cloth as them, teens that grew in a different type of society with customs that allow freedom to be what they want and won't force individuals to be constrained to what others want them to be. You are those kids. There's also something else and it has to do with the Iron Legion," he paused. "I try to keep my ears and eyes open for any developments and rumors regarding the Legion and their allies, the Warborn, the Dawn Empire, and the Wu Lin. You probably don't know this but the Warden, whose real name was Edward but didn't tell it to many, and many of the members of the Iron Legion refused to follow a destiny that would cause the deaths of so many people. A lot of people were not happy about that, especially the more fervent of the Royals."

Evan responded, "I'll bet they were quite angry about such a prominent group not following their story."

The black-haired man nodded. "Very. And recently, there's been ambushes on civilians around the school by a group of armed unknowns. It's most likely these attacks are on the orders of someone that's trying to cause a stir in Ever After. And that's where you thirteen come in. If dropping the story of the Iron Legion wasn't enough of a clue of who I am, then I'll come right out and tell you. I'm the Dante, the Lawbringer that was supposed to abandon Apollyon's village since it was filled with people and scumbags who were some of the worst out there, which would push her into becoming the person she was supposed to be. I searched for kids on Earth who would do well as protectors of Ever After High and Book End, and all of you fit the bill to become the next Iron Legion."

A few of the teens realized that this could be a good opportunity for them and also be something new to experience because who could say they became part of a powerful army of knights and experienced another world firsthand? Not many. But some were a bit skeptical of what Dante was asking of them. "Why do you think we would be able to become the next Iron Legion? We are just high schoolers, we are not battle-hardened warriors that live in a constant state of battle." inquired the black-haired girl.

"Trust me, I knew Apollyon's village was not a kind place and my predecessors that were in my role possessed this knowledge as well. And I am a Lawbringer, we are essentially our world's version of your world's police force and also known for our intelligence and making proper judgement calls. When you are part of a group that judges criminals and others and investigates crime on a slightly smaller level, those two things are pretty much required. So, I don't think you have the ability to become the next Iron Legion, I know you do. Something else to note is the Knights were known as individuals that respected codes of honor and duty to a high degree, many of their members also possessing a moral code. While some of you do cause a little mischief at times, you are all upstanding individuals with good morals that also know that sometimes there is a gray area with certain actions and do not believe everything is as cut and dry as it seems. You have most certainly learned this by this point in your lives."

Dante's statement hit home and pretty much sealed the deal for them. "Alright, I'm in." the young woman responded.

"Same here."

"Ditto."

"I don't see the harm. This could be fun."

"Well I'm sold."

One by one, all of them confirmed their agreement and that they would succeed the previous incarnation of the Iron Legion. Dante grinned and said, "Excellent. Now, if one of you would step forward, I'll demonstrate how you can don your armor and weapon." The kid with the shaved sides volunteered and stepped forward. "Thank you, Randy. Now, because the armor that the Knights wore is no longer worn in daily life by fairy tales in this era, you can just wear your normal clothes and won't have to wear the armor everywhere. Each of you will play the part of a specific Knight and your designated sets of gear have the ability to be summoned and unsummoned with a thought. Ever After is saturated with magic and your gear is linked to your soul and can never be lost. Randy, just think of your armor and weapon appearing on you and it shall summon itself."

Randy nodded and filled his mind with the thought of his gear. Immediately, the sound of glass breaking filled the room and he was covered in a glowing light that enveloped and outlined his entire body. Starting from his feet, the armor quickly placed itself on him piece by piece and finished donning his form with his helmet coming in last.

The light disappeared and Randy's new armor became fully visible. He looked at himself and whistled in appreciation, "Not bad, I like it. Oh yes I do."

The other teens were amazed at his new look and immediately wanted to experience it for themselves. Each of them followed the steps Dante laid out for them and they became dressed in their own respective armor sets, quickly becoming captivated by them.

Dante stood off to the side of the teens and smiled. 'They all have some big shoes to fill... but I have a good feeling about these kids.'

The Tale of Heathmoor?! That's one of the most famous stories in all of Ever After! This is amazing!

It is, Brooke. One that is well known by many and has also competed, in a sense, with Snow White's tale for the title of the most high-profile fairy tale.

Though I must say, I do look forward to how these kids will affect the destinies of students at Ever After High and the future for the rest of Ever After. It's very hexciting. They could change things for the better for good.

Oh, do be silent! The stories must be followed!

Are you mad?! It can be a fairy good thing if change happens!

Ugh... Mom, Dad!